The Tribeca Film Festival officially celebrated its tenth birthday as its 2011 edition launched today in Lower Manhattan. Co-founders Jane Rosenthal, Craig Hatkoff and Robert De Niro started the event to help energize New York in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
According to The New York Post, some of the most talked about of this year’s films included The Union, Cameron Crowe’s documentary about Elton John’s collaboration with Leon Russell, the comedy Jesus Henry Christ and the western Blackthorn, about the final years of outlaw Butch Cassidy.
Michael Cera and Whoopi Goldberg joined the Tribeca jury crew in the world documentary competition. Directors David Gordon Green and Atom Egoyan, Saturday Night Live star Jason Sudeikis, Anna Kendrick, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano and Rainn Wilson also joined this year’s jury.
The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival runs through May 1 with Ed Burns’ Newlyweds as the closing film.