Cameron Crowe's The Union to open Tribeca

Elton John will perform after free outdoor screening to kick off 10th edition.

by Amber Wilkinson

Tribeca Film Festival will open it's 10th edition with a free outdoor world premiere of Cameron Crowe's documentary The Union.

The film, which offers a personal look at the creative life of Elton John and his collaborative album with Leon Russell, will be followed by a performance by the British music star at the North Cove at the World Financial Plaza on April 20.

Begun in November 2009, the filming captures the entire writing and recording process of John's album - a process that led him to reinvigorate the life and musical career of Russell, to whom John hadn’t spoken in over 38 years.

Co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival Jane Rosenthal said: "It’s a special opportunity to open our 10th Festival in this distinct and 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.

"Cameron Crowe gives audiences unprecedented access into Elton John and Leon Russell’s artistic process in an emotional and realistic way.”

Elton John added: "I'm absolutely thrilled that the documentary about The Union will premiere opening night at the Tribeca Film Festival."

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival will announce its feature film slate on March 7 and 14. We'll be bringing it to you when they do.

Share this with others on...
News

Spin-off alchemy Claude Schmitz on bringing back cop pairing for Conrad & Crab – Idiotic Gems

Past crime Christoffer Boe on creating a world for his period mystery Special Unit - The First Murder

The hidden river Helen MacDonald and Philippa Lowthorpe on adapting H Is For Hawk

This wild channel David Shadrack Smith and Jake Fogelnest on the content creation revolution and Public Access

The long and the short of it Meagan Coyle on the proper pacing of stories, and Prime

Sundance announces winners Josephine, Nuisance Bear, Shame And Money and To Hold A Mountain take top prizes

More news and features

Interact

As we move into 2026, don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.

With awards season in full flow, you can keep track of the latest news on that here:

César nominations Nouvelle Vague leads the race for France's biggest awards

BAFTA nominations One Battle After Another and Sinners almost neck and neck

Golden Eddies Nominations for editing brilliance announced

OFCS Awards One Battle After Another triumphs; Sinners dominates