The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday, April 23 with the opening ceremonies in the morning and then the premiere of the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama in the evening.
Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal was joined at the opening press conference by New York Governor David Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, festival sponsor American Express' Chief Marketing Officer John Hayes, Festival Artistic Director Peter Scarlet and Director and Festival Juror Doug Liman to kickoff the festival.
"Great films energize our lives," said Rosenthal. "We started this Festival to heal our neighborhood and bring the magic of film to the city we love. Over the next 11 days we will view the world through the lens of filmmakers – advancing their work as we seek to inspire and entertain our audiences. I want to thank our sponsors and all those who helped to put together another great Festival, and invite all New Yorkers and our international visitors, to come experience the great creative work we will showcase and enjoy all that Tribeca has to offer."
Governor David Paterson, who is the first blind Governor of New York discussed his new legislation to incent film production and its economic benefits on the state. "New York has inspired filmmakers since the industry's beginning," said Governor Paterson. "But recently, we started losing business to our neighbors, like Canada, Connecticut and Massachusetts. New Yorkers never go down without a fight, and with the significantly expanded state film tax credit I announced today, New York will continue to serve as the most fascinating backdrop in the world. I am proud to have our great state foster an even greater number of productions, and feel fortunate that we have an event like the Tribeca Film Festival to showcase the work of great filmmakers and highlight the importance of this industry in our state."
The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg also had praised the contributions of the Tribeca Film Festival to city's character and economy. "New York City offers the best backdrop in the world to make movies, and every spring, Lower Manhattan offers the best place in the world to celebrate them. The Tribeca Film Festival was founded to spur revitalization downtown, and its ongoing success reaffirms Lower Manhattan's role as a vibrant cultural destination and New York City's place as a center of movie magic."
The names of an eclectic mix of festival jurors to determine the award winning films among the entries was announced. Among the many notables are actress and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg, musician David Bowie, and celebrity chefs Padma Lakshmi and Mario Batali.
The day's loan film screening was the festival opener "Baby Mama" at the famed Ziegfeld Theater. The film production is aligned with a familiar Saturday Night Live alumni formula, produced by Lorne Michaels and starring the former SNL Weekend Update duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Also in the cast are Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear and Dax Shepard.
To view the Epoch Times photo gallery from the Tribeca Film Festival's opening press conference, please click here: http://new.en.epochtimes.com/g/v/2008/tribeca_ff/
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