2011 Tribeca Film Festival Announces the Return of the Tribeca Drive-In, Family Festival Street Fair and Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day

Drive-In Events to Feature Fame, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and When the Drum Stops Beating, Plus Live Musical Performances and Inaugural Tribeca’s Got Talent

Song and Dance Competition

NYFEST Soccer Tournaments will Include Celebrity and Industry Professional Participants

From Film, Sports, Music and Entertainment with Matches Benefiting Inner City Youth Charities

New York, NY – The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by Founding Sponsor American Express, today announced the return of its signature free community events: the Tribeca Drive-In (April 21-23), Family Festival Street Fair (April 30), Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day (April 30), and free panel series, “Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper” and “Tribeca Talks: Industry” (April 23-30).

The Festival also announced the three film titles which will be screened at the Tribeca Drive-In, TFF’s highly anticipated outdoor screening series that entertains families and movie lovers of all ages. The 2011 Tribeca Drive-In will feature special screenings of the 1980 feel-good classic Fame; the beloved family comedy The Muppets Take Manhattan, and excerpts of the TFF premiere of the Haitian documentary When the Drum Stops Beating, which will include a performance from Haitian-Caribbean-Jazz fusion band Septentrional.

For the first time this year, Festival-goers, athletes and the general public will have the opportunity to partake in the new NYFest (April 23), the city’s first Film and Entertainment Soccer Tournament  in conjunction with TFF and in partnership with Umbro. The tournament will feature a five-on-five industry match, where professionals from film, music, sports and entertainment will compete; a celebrity match, kicked off with a coin toss by soccer legend Pele; and a New York youth showcase for players of all skill levels.  All proceeds from the day will be contributed to select charity organizations benefiting youth in the inner city.

Lastly, two series of free public panels will round-out TFF’s free offerings, giving film enthusiasts the opportunity to engage in conversations about making and distributing films with film industry leaders, public figures, business leaders and renowned innovators. The “Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper hosted by Barnes & Noble” panels focus on the art of screenwriting, while the “Tribeca Talks: Industry” panels are intended for audiences to explore the business side of filmmaking.  This year’s TFF will take place from April 20-May 1, 2011.

“The Tribeca Film Festival was started nearly 10 years ago to revive culture and business in lower Manhattan, and showcase what Tribeca has to offer. During each Festival, we have featured a variety of free community events as our way of giving back to the city, and this year is no exception” said Nancy Schafer, Tribeca Film Festival Executive Director.  “We have created some truly wonderful programs and events for the entire family to enjoy, and brought back favorites such as the Family Festival and Drive-In events.”

Each year, the Festival’s free events bring thousands of people downtown to enjoy top-notch talent and entertainment, while highlighting the restaurants, merchants, schools and community organizations of lower Manhattan. The free events are as follows:

TRIBECA DRIVE-IN OUTDOOR SCREENINGS

Thursday-Saturday, April 21-April 23, 2011

World Financial Center Plaza

Co-Sponsored by JetBlue Airways and Time Warner Cable, hosted by Brookfield

The following films will be featured at the Tribeca Drive-In, TFF’s outdoor screening series for film enthusiasts of all ages. The free evening of cinema under the stars is open to the public, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 6 p.m.  The programs will also begin at 6 p.m., with screenings starting at dusk, approximately 8:15 p.m.

Fame – Thursday, April 21

The first-ever Tribeca’s Got Talent competition will precede TFF’s screening of the 1980 classic Fame, chronicling the lives of teenagers attending a New York high school for the performing arts. Aspiring singers and dancers are invited to show off their best moves at Tribeca’s open-call song and dance competition where everyone is a winner.

A permanent fixture in popular culture and an inspiration to any kid who ever sought stardom, Fame burst into the world in 1980 with its energetic celebration of growing up, honing talent, confronting realities, finding love and living life. Following crisscrossing stories of the musicians, actors, dancers and dreamers who strive to get in and graduate from New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts, this Academy Award®-winning musical truly sings the body electric. Directed by Alan Parker. (USA)

An Evening with When the Drum Stops Beating – Friday, April 22

Haiti’s oldest and best-known Haitian-Caribbean-Jazz fusion band, Septentrional, featured in the documentary, will celebrate the evening and regale movie-goers with a live performance. Excerpts of the documentary will be screened which explores Haiti’s complex past and present set to the scintillating sounds of the band.

The 20-member band Septentrional has been making music for 62 years as Haiti’s most celebrated big band. This inspirational documentary charts the history of Haiti from its triumphant independence from French colonialism to 2010’s devastating earthquake—all set to the vibrant music of Septentrional and punctuated with its members’ personal memories. Featuring a wealth of live rehearsal and performance footage, When the Drum Stops Beating is a poignant and high-energy story of resilience. In English, Creole with English subtitles. Directed by Whitney Dow.

The Muppets Take Manhattan – Saturday, April 23

As part of the celebration for the beloved film that features Kermit and friends on Broadway, pre- show activities for families of all ages will include face-painting, Muppet-themed trivia, sing-alongs and surprise guests.

Join Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the Muppets on a delightful romp down the Great White Way! When the Muppets launch their musical Manhattan Melodies, they soon learn there is more to Broadway than the smell of grease paint and the roar of the crowd. Cleverly directed by Frank Oz—and featuring Dabney Coleman, Joan Rivers, Elliott Gould, Liza Minnelli, and Gregory Hines—The Muppets Take Manhattan is brimming with cuteness and fun for all ages! Directed by Frank Oz. (USA)

NYFEST AT TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

Saturday, April 23

9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Pier 40, 353 West Street (between Houston and West Side Highway)

At the Tribeca Film Festival in partnership with Umbro with support from Doha Film Institute and The New York Cosmos

NYFEST will bring celebrities and industry professionals from the worlds of film, music, sports and entertainment together with New York youth for a day filled with athleticism, learning and fun. NYFEST at TFF will take over Pier 40 in Tribeca to stage a five-on-five industry soccer tournament (9 a.m.- 4 p.m.); a celebrity soccer match kicked off with a coin toss by soccer legend Pele and Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises Geoff Gilmore (4 p.m.-6 p.m.); and a youth soccer showcase (10 a.m.-4 p.m.), which will include introductions to soccer for NYC youth, skills stations and skills competitions, freestyle juggling and youth exhibition matches with celebrity coaches.

Over 300 participants from companies including CAA, Sony Pictures Classics, Focus Features, FilmNation, “The Daily Show”, “The Colbert Report”, “Law and Order”, Technicolor, Paradigm, Gersh, R/GA, AKQA and Deluxe will compete in the industry competition. The event is organized and run by Jeffrey Saunders, New York based filmmaker and former professional soccer player and Dylan Leiner, Executive VP of Acquisitions & Production for Sony Pictures Classics and former college soccer player. All proceeds from NYFEST at TFF will go to support a selected group of charitable organizations focused on the betterment of youth in the inner city, including City Soccer in the Community and The Claudio Reyna Foundation.  Open to the public, the event will have catered food and drinks on-site and will include all day action for those of every age to enjoy. Visit www.nyfest.org.

TRIBECA FAMILY FESTIVAL STREET FAIR

Saturday, April 30th

10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Greenwich Street (between Chambers Street and Hubert Street)

The Tribeca Family Festival, presented by Founding Sponsor American Express, will feature the annual Street Fair on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Greenwich Street from Chambers Street to Hubert Street, and at venues throughout the Tribeca neighborhood. The fair, a Festival favorite which drew more than 250,000 people last year, is free and open to the public, and promises to be a day of family fun and lively entertainment.

Throughout the Street Fair will be talented performers, dancers, stilt walkers, Broadway performances, arts and crafts, face painters, and much more. Students from local schools will also be at the fair with creative fundraising activities and vibrant student artwork. The Street Fair will host restaurants, merchants and organizations from the Tribeca neighborhood. More details and a map of events will be available in the coming weeks at www.tribecafilm.com.

Street Fair highlights include:

• Cast members from Million Dollar Quartet, Wicked, John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean, Broadway’s “Next Hit Musical,” Broadway Kids Care and other Broadway and Off-Broadway shows are scheduled to take center stage at the outdoor Festival Mainstage.
• The New York Philharmonic’s Credit Suisse Very Young Composers’ will present original works created by young musicians and brought to life by a chamber ensemble from the esteemed orchestra.
• Families will enjoy the popular Kite Garden, where kids can make their own kites and learn to fly them, while youngsters can create gigantic bubbles in the Bubble Garden.
• Additional featured talent includes Max Darwin, Magician Extraordinaire; Ronnie Asbell’s Puppetronics, a hands-on traveling exhibition of life-sized marionettes; Rock-A-Baby music workshops; and more.
• An encore screening of this year’s “Downtown Youth Behind the Camera” program featuring short films made by student filmmakers from downtown Manhattan will be presented at BMCC’s Tribeca Performing Arts Center Theater, along with a special feature screening.
• Popular family-friendly bands will offer free concerts to close the day, including The Fuzzy Lemons and Hot Peas N’ Butter.
• The Tribeca Fun Squad will lead Hula Hoop Contests, Dance-Offs and other Wacky Street Games.

TRIBECA/ESPN SPORTS DAY

Sponsored by Time Warner Cable

Saturday, April 30

10 a.m.-6 p.m.

N. Moore Street (between Greenwich Street and West Street)

A perennial favorite of the Family Festival Street Fair, Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on N. Moore Street (between Greenwich Street and West Street).  Now in its fifth year, Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day gives sports fans the opportunity to engage in a variety of free, sports-related interactive activities that will include games, demonstrations and prize giveaways.  In addition, some of New York’s most popular athletes, mascots and sports personalities will make guest appearances throughout the day.

Highlights of Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day include:

• Fans will enjoy activities with their favorite teams, including the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, and WNBA’s New York Liberty.
• Cast members from the Broadway play Lombardi will greet fans and run a football passing clinic.
• New York Women’s Baseball will run coaching clinics.
• The NHL will offer giveaways throughout the day.

Details about Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day will continue to be updated throughout the weeks leading up to the Festival.  For the most up to date information, visit www.tribecafilm.com.