newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JOE TYRRELL

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Marking its 10th anniversary, the annual Tribeca Film Festival returns next week to lower Manhattan, and your digital devices, with a strong line-up of features, documentaries and film shorts.

While becoming a major event for the culture as well as the industry, the festival has expanded beyond arthouses and screening rooms into the community, the world, and the digital universe.

In the physical world, this year's festival opens with a world premiere, Cameron Crowe's documentary "The Union" about the album collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell, along with other musical notables.

The movie will be screened for free at 8:15 p.m. on April 20 at the North Cove at the World Financial Plaza. Although open to the public, the free screening will require a festival wristband for entry. Details, as well as other festival information, are available at tribecafilm.com.

Jane Rosenthal, one of the founders of the Tribeca Film Festival, called the screening a "special opportunity" to mark the 10th anniversary in a unique way.

“Not only are we inviting the community to join us for the world premiere of Cameron Crowe’s film The Union, but to have Elton, whose music transcends generations, perform after is an extraordinary gift to our Festival and more specifically the downtown community,” she said in a press release.

Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival following the in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center to help the revival of lower Manhattan. Since then, it has presented more than 1,100 movies from more than 80 countries, and generated an estimated $600 million in economic activity.

At least one of this year's entries makes that connection explicit, the world premiere of Scott Rettberg's documentary "New York Says Thank You." The movie, which opens 9:30 p.m. on April 28 in both the real and pixellated worlds, follows New Yorkers whose lives were touched by September 11 as they travel the country helping other communities rebuild after disasters.

"New York Says Thank You" is one of the feature films and short subjects that will be available via the festival's latest innovation. Working with founding partner American Express, the Tribeca (Online) Film Festival will provide free digital showings of some entries, stream festival events around the world and enable viewers to submit questions.

More Tribeca films, including "The Bang Bang Club," "The Bleeding House," "Last Night" And "Neds" will be among the titles available nationally to customers of video-on-demand services from April 20 through June 23.

In keeping with its setting in a fertile spot for movies and moviemakers, Tribeca always manages to include entries with local flavor. This year's festival wraps up with the world premiere of the latest work from local favorite Ed Burns. "Newlyweds" with Caitlin Fitzgerald is Burns' tenth film and the six to premiere at the festival.

“He is one of Tribeca’s best friends,” Nancy Schafer, the festival's executive director, said in a statement. “He lives in our community, and this film, which is exceptional and may very well be his best, was both shot in the neighborhood and captures the zeitgeist of a community and its relationships that is intimate and fun and so true.”

“Tribeca is my home in every sense -- it’s where I live, and it’s also the place where I have been so proud to show my work,” Burns added in the release.

But the festival movies for all tastes. Some, like "Last Night" with Keira Knightley and Eva Mendes, will be popping round to your local multiplex in the next few weeks.

Others, like Chris Paine's follow-up documentary, "Revenge of the Electric Car," and the charming but pointed indie comedy "Rid of Me," will make into the arthouses.

But Tribeca ranges further afield to find films like the timely Egyptian drama "Cairo Exit," the hilarious Icelandic political documentary "Gnarr," or "Cinema Komunisto," an elegaic look at the once flourishing movie industry of a country that no longer exists, Yugoslavia.

Meanwhile, the Tribeca Film Institute, which operates year-round, funnels money to support film projects. This year, it partnered with HBO to provide a total of $100,000 for three fellow and grants for "character-driven" documentaries.

The institute also announced its annual grants for dramas with scientific or technological themes, with a total $140,000 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation going to six projects.

Tickets for the Festival are be $16 for evening and weekend screenings, and $8 for daytime weekday and late night screenings.

Advance selection ticket packages and passes are currently on sale. All advance packages and passes can be purchased online at tribecafilm.com, or by telephone, toll free, at (866) 941-FEST (3378).

Single ticket and discounted ticket package sales are under way for American Express Cardmembers, and will be available to downtown residents on April 17 and the general public on April 18. Single tickets can be purchased online, by telephone, or at one of the Ticket Outlets, with locations at Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street, Chelsea Clearview Cinemas at 260 W. 23rd Street, and AMC Village VII at 66 3rd Avenue.

Ticket discounts for evening and weekend screenings for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents are available online and by phone at Ticket Outlet locations only.

Joe Tyrrell may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .