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Since it started more than a decade ago, the festival has
become a showcase for independent and documentary works, as well
as a launching pad for new talent and a testing ground for
innovative filmmaking.
"We had no idea of the particular way it would go," said Robert
De Niro, the Oscar winner and co-founder of the festival. "We're
happy it has lasted this long, and my hope was always that it
would become part of the New York tradition."
"Live From New York!", a documentary about the NBC late-night
comedy sketch show "Saturday Night Live," kicks off the festival
on Wednesday.
Nearly 100 feature-length films will be shown before the
festival closes with a special screening and cast reunion of the
gangster classic "Goodfellas" to mark the film's 25th
anniversary.
"A Ballerina's Tale," about American Ballet Theatre soloist
Misty Copeland will be paired with a special dance performance,
and the screening of "Mary J. Blige - The London Sessions" will
be followed by a concert by the singer.
"The idea is to extend the cinematic experience," said Genna
Terranova, the director of the festival.
Tribeca will mark the centenary of Frank Sinatra's birth with
screenings of three of his films and live performances by Tony
Bennett and others. The surviving members of British comedy
troupe Monty Python will also reunite for the 40th anniversary
of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
"We want to look forward because we are a festival that is about
innovation," said Terranova, "but at the same time look back and
are tipping our hats by creating these special events."
The festival will feature 67 world film premieres, including
"Maggie," with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a farmer whose daughter
is infected with a zombie virus, and Oscar winner Patricia
Arquette in "The Wannabe."
"The Adderall Diaries," a thriller with James Franco and Amber
Heard will debut at the festival, and Glenn Close, Sam Waterston
and Kristen Stewart head an ensemble cast in "Anesthesia."
De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal and investor Craig Hatkoff
started the festival to revitalize the downtown neighborhood
following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
(Editing by Mary Milliken and Lisa Von Ahn)
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