Fifty years after “Taxi Driver” first stunned audiences with its bleak portrait of urban alienation and psychological decline, the film’s principal creators reunited in New York on Friday to reflect on a work they said continues to resonate in an era shaped by digital isolation and fractured human connections.

Director Martin Scorsese, actor Robert De Niro, actor Jodie Foster and screenwriter Paul Schrader gathered at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center during the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Tribeca Festival, revisiting the legacy of the 1976 film that remains one of American cinema’s most influential works.

Speaking after a special anniversary screening, Scorsese said the film’s enduring relevance stemmed from its exploration of loneliness and social disconnection.”It’s a sense of being isolated, it’s about being lonely and not being able to communicate or connect,” Scorsese told the audience. “For me, that’s universal.

It’s always going to speak to young people.”The reunion brought together the creative figures behind a film that transformed the careers of many involved and became a defining work of the New Hollywood era. Released in February 1976, “Taxi Driver” followed Travis Bickle, a troubled Vietnam War veteran portrayed by De Niro, whose descent into obsession and violence unfolds against the backdrop of a deteriorating New York City.

The film quickly became a critical and commercial sensation, earning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and receiving four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. De Niro was nominated for Best Actor, while Foster, who was 12 years old during production, received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

For screenwriter Schrader, the film’s continued relevance remains remarkable given the passage of time.”Obviously there is something in this film that doesn’t die,” Schrader said during the discussion. “If we marked the 50th anniversary of a film in 1976, we’d be talking about a 1926 movie. So it is very peculiar.”The anniversary discussion frequently returned to the themes of isolation, alienation and social fragmentation that underpin the story.

While the film was rooted in the urban realities of 1970s New York, participants suggested that its depiction of disconnected individuals searching for meaning has found new relevance in the digital age.The enduring cultural influence of “Taxi Driver” has extended far beyond cinema.

The film’s imagery, dialogue and character archetypes have been referenced across decades of filmmaking, television, literature and popular culture. Travis Bickle’s alienation and sense of dislocation have become touchstones in discussions of modern loneliness and social estrangement.For Tribeca, the screening carried additional significance.

The festival was co-founded by De Niro in 2002 as part of efforts to revitalize lower Manhattan following the September 11 attacks. The 25th anniversary celebrations have featured retrospectives and discussions highlighting landmark films connected to New York City and American cinema.Friday’s event underscored the unique place “Taxi Driver” occupies in film history. Few movies continue to generate sustained discussion five decades after their release, and fewer still retain such contemporary relevance.

The filmmakers acknowledged that audiences continue to discover new meanings in the story, particularly as technology reshapes the ways people communicate and interact.Although the cultural and technological landscape has changed dramatically since 1976, the participants suggested that the film’s central concerns remain largely unchanged.

Feelings of loneliness, isolation and the search for connection continue to shape modern life, even as they manifest through new platforms and social environments.

As the audience reflected on the film’s legacy, the discussion highlighted how a story rooted in one moment of American history has continued to speak to successive generations. Half a century after its release, “Taxi Driver” remains a subject of analysis not only for its cinematic achievements but also for its examination of the human condition.

Large crowds gathered in major cities including New York, Washington, Dallas and Los Angeles, while organizers said nearly two-thirds of events took place in smaller communities, marking a sharp expansion beyond urban centers.

The protests come months ahead of November’s midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.The rallies, the third in a series since last year, follow earlier demonstrations that drew millions of participants. Organizers linked the surge in turnout to opposition against Trump’s immigration crackdown, U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict, and broader concerns over democratic institutions.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, a key focal point amid immigration enforcement tensions, thousands gathered outside the state capitol. Governor Tim Walz told demonstrators their actions reflected “compassion” and “democracy,” while Senator Bernie Sanders warned against what he described as a drift toward authoritarianism.

In New York, actor Robert De Niro, one of the rally organizers, addressed a crowd stretching across multiple city blocks, saying no previous U.S. president had posed a comparable threat to civil liberties.

Musician Bruce Springsteen performed at the Minnesota event, debuting a protest ballad criticizing federal immigration actions.Participants cited a range of concerns, including deportation policies and recent military operations involving Iran.

Demonstrators in Washington gathered on the National Mall with pro-democracy slogans, while smaller groups, including elderly residents in Maryland, staged roadside protests urging resistance to what they termed “tyranny.”In Dallas, clashes broke out between demonstrators and counterprotesters, including a group linked to Enrique Tarrio.

Police reported several arrests after minor scuffles and street blockages.Authorities in Los Angeles also detained multiple individuals after protesters refused to disperse near a federal facility, with law enforcement deploying tear gas after objects were thrown.

Democratic support for the protests, describing them as extreme, while organizers defended the rallies as peaceful expressions of dissent.political stakes riseThe protests coincide with declining approval ratings for Trump, which fell to 36 percent, the lowest level since his return to office, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Organizers say participation is rising even in traditionally Republican states, signaling broader political engagement ahead of the midterms.Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the Indivisible movement that organized the protests, said suburban districts critical to national elections are seeing heightened activity, reflecting growing mobilization among opposition voters.

The demonstrations were also framed by organizers as a response to ongoing military action involving Iran, now in its fourth week, adding a foreign policy dimension to domestic unrest.