Tribeca Film Festival Announces Its 2009 Lineup

The eight annual Tribeca Film Festival, which commences on April 22nd in lower Manhattan, has announced its lineup, which includes 86 features and 46 short film selections. Of the 86 features, 38 were recently announced, among them 24 World Narrative and Documentary Competition films, as well 14 Discovery selections which showcase new and emerging voices in film.

“Each year we look forward to bringing our films to the most engaged movie-going audience and providing filmmakers a global stage,” says Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival. “Film festivals play a critical role in the life of a film. Tribeca is here to support these films and filmmakers along their journey. We are very proud of the slate this year and hope everyone will come and enjoy the festival.”

The film selection for 2009 will include feature films from 33 different countries, 48 world premieres, five international premieres, 14 North American premieres, three U.S. premieres and 11 New York City premieres, as well as eight titles which are part of the third annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

Of the 81 directors presenting their feature works at the festival, 37 of them are presenting their directorial debuts. All feature films were chosen from a total of 2,254 feature submissions.

This year, 12 narrative and 12 documentary features will compete for cash prizes amounting to $100,000, with the largest totaling cash prize of $50,000 going to the best narrative and documentary moviemakers. Among the dozen narratives selected for these prizes are The Exploding Girl, written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray and starring stage actress Zoe Kazan (granddaughter of Elia); Accidents Happen, an Australian feature from director Andrew Lancaster, starring Geena Davis in her first film role since 2002’s Stuart Little 2, and the documentary Outrage, directed by Oscar-nominated moviemaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated), which explores the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against LGBT communities.

“I’m really excited about the fantastic mix of talent we have this year,” says David Kwok, Tribeca’s director of programming. “There are many impressive debut directors and astounding performances by up-and-coming actors whom I believe have strong futures ahead of them. When considering these films alongside the remarkable new work being presented by established talent, I think viewers will be pleased by what they find in our competition and discovery sections.”

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival will run from April 22nd to May 3rd.