Share this article
Tribeca Film Festival Will Sell VIP Passes as NFTs
In partnership with crypto exchange OKX, the passes will include special access to screenings, parties, and other perks.
By Cam Thompson
Updated Jan 12, 2023, 3:14 p.m. Published Jan 12, 2023, 2:00 p.m.
With the use cases for non-fungible tokens (NFT) continuing to expand, New York's Tribeca Film Festival is hopping on the trend by offering VIP passes as digital collectibles.
The VIP passes mark the annual film festival’s expansion into NFTs. They were developed in partnership with crypto exchange OKX. Minted on Ethereum, they will provide perks including special access to film screenings and invitations to exclusive events with the festival’s co-founders, Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
The NFTs cost $899 and are available for purchase directly through the Tribeca website using a credit card. More experienced NFT collectors can also pay for the passes in ether through the OKX NFT marketplace. The design of the NFT artwork was inspired by the landscapes of Lower Manhattan, where this year’s festival will take place on June 7-18.
Nate Zou, head of Web3 products at OKX, told CoinDesk that the Seychelles-based exchange is excited to leverage blockchain technologies to reach new audiences and bring the event into Web3.
“[The Tribeca audience] is perfectly spread across all different demographics – from elder people to younger generations, across all kinds of work,” said Zou. “I think they’re a perfect sample for us to educate the general public about this technology.”
The VIP passes are part of a broader partnership with OKX, which signed on as the festival’s top sponsor last year.
It’s not the first time a major cultural event has commingled with crypto companies. Last year’s Grammy Awards were sponsored by crypto exchange Binance and music NFT marketplace OneOf.
Zou is optimistic that other events will incorporate NFTs as a part of their ticketing strategy.
“I think [the Tribeca festival] can be a great sample for us to try out with our partners in the future,” said Zou. “Whoever is interested can bring the new technology to their existing customer base and see what kind of spark it has.”
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Circle platform promising tokenized gold, silver swaps is 'fake,' company says
The release, distributed on Christmas Eve, used Circle branding and claimed to quote executives, but a Circle spokesperson said it was "not real."
What to know:
- A fake press release claimed that Circle, the issuer of USDC, had launched a new platform called CircleMetals, offering tokenized gold and silver trading.
- The release, distributed on Christmas Eve, used Circle branding and quoted executives, but was later confirmed to be fake by the company.
- The fake platform, which remains live, appears to be a scam, with links to a swap platform and promises of rewards, but there is no evidence to suggest that the tokenized gold and silver tokens actually exist.
Top Stories
