The sixth installment of the Tribeca Film Festival has been greeted by the hometown press corps with general skepticism, if not outright disdain. Common targets for derision include the Fest’s exorbitant ticket prices, its “unwise expansion” into neighborhoods far north of the triangle below Canal, and the publicity department’s blatant groveling for red carpet coverage at the expense of actual film criticism. It’s clear that the Festival’s post-9/11 honeymoon is long over. But rather than continue to beat the “this Festival kinda sucks” dead horse, I went and asked five New Yorkers (and one concerned West Coastie) to name the one thing they would say if Bobby DeNiro and friends were to come calling for advice. Each respondent spoke on the condition of anonymity, but all are in some way involved in the film festival community, either toiling behind the scenes, or as a frequent attendee.

The Director
A New York-based documentary filmmaker

“Don’t jam blockbuster films like Spiderman 3 into the schedule–give smaller films priority. I’m glad I got to see the hilarious-for-all-the-wrong-reasons Alec Baldwin/Sarah Michelle Gellar film Suburban Girl, but that’s a film that will probably see limited release (if Baldwin is smart). Showing Spiderman 3 at such a fest seems like abuse of privilege.”

The Blogger
The voice behind a popular blog about life in Manhattan

“Movies should be available at different times through out the day. Starting at 10 am and running through 10 pm. I don\’t know if there are multiple purchases of tickets but [maybe] you could do [a deal] where if you bought tickets for 3 films, you get the fourth one at a discount. Something to get more of the local community attending the films vs. just the film industry.”

The Panelist
Fresh from an appearance on one of Tribeca 2007’s most talked-about panels

“When I asked if our panel recording would be online they said maybe. They recorded everything but I guess they don’t have a system for posting. I’d love to see audio and/or video of all the panels up on the web.”

The Working Press
A writer for a high-profile publication, attending Tribeca for the first time

“Get a press office in Midtown, [near] the screening locales. Stop with the crack-of-dawn press screenings [of] the biggest movies. Fuck the ’screener library’–just send out goddamn screeners. I could tell you five buzzy, but small, movies I’ll miss because of no screeners.”

The Photographer
A frequent fest-hopper with a camera

“My first thought is nuke it and start over again. But my second thought is they should decide what they want to be and then work towards it. No fest or event can be all things to all people. Those that stand out in my mind are clear about the kind of atmosphere and audience they want. My faves are SXSW, Hot Docs, Silverdocs - all with very clear identities and visions. It’s okay if Tribeca wants to be a star-studded, commercial glam fest, but don’t then require little indie docs to world premiere there where they are simply bugs to be crushed on the red carpet.”

The Out-of-Towner
A film fest pro looking at Tribeca from a distance

“Festivals have historically been programmer and not event driven and programmers often haven’t wanted to concern themselves with distance between screenings, ease of ticket purchasing, result programming will have on the community after instead of simply during the festival etc. I see much of this changing as Web 2.0 trickles into event planning, hopefully soon.”

Have your own thoughts as to how to fix Tribeca? Give us a peek at your masterplan in the comments.