See How Katie Holmes, Robert De Niro, and Karolina Kurkova Kicked Off the Tribeca Film Festival

Any night that begins with Joel McHale giving Robert De Niro full permission to sock him as punishment for playfully ribbing the guests is bound to be a good one. Such was the case when stars including Katie Holmes, Karolina Kurkova, Kate Mara, Judy Greer and more filed into N.Y.C.’s Spring Street Studios for an intimate dinner to kick off the Tribeca Film Festival.

Luxury watch brand IWC Schaffhausen’s fourth annual “For the Love of Cinema” gala, hosted by McHale, has become a first-night-of-the-fest tradition in lower Manhattan. As festival jurors, actors, and moviegoers rode the elevators up to dine in a converted studio space on the sixth floor of TriBeCa’s Spring Street Studios (which will be home to A-list appearances and film premieres over the next week), the crowd was buzzing about the magic of cinema.

Kate Mara and Dev Patel chatted over red wine about the premiere of his new film, The Man Who Knew Infinity, while Jason Biggs told InStyle about the huge task he has ahead of him as a Tribeca Film Festival juror. “When I’m sitting there watching these films, I think about how special it is to have this responsibility,” he said. “It’s crazy to think that the decision I make in the end can hopefully impact what happens next for these filmmakers. I don’t take it lightly.” Something he does take a bit more lightly? Parents night out with wife Jenny Mollen, who spotted a clutch identical to her own on another guest. “Was it Kate Mara who has the other bag? If it was, she might look better!” he teased.

The Tribeca Film Festival juror and his wife enjoyed a date night out. "It’s crazy to think that the decision I make in the end can hopefully impact what happens next for these filmmakers. I don’t take it lightly," Biggs told InStyle of the responsibility.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Of course, a bash in the Big Apple wouldn’t be complete without restaurant recommendations and shopping suggestions flying around the tables. “I can’t choose a favorite restaurant, please don’t make me do that,” said Scott Eastwood. Patel fielded suggestions from his tablemates on what to do with day off in the city, with one stipulation: “Anything but Hamilton,” he joked. “Everyone I’ve talked to has already told me to see Hamilton.”