The Tribeca Film Festival has announced the line up for its World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections.
It has also announced films which will screen in the first edition of a new section — Viewpoints. Forty-four of the 88 feature-length films were announced for the festival which will run from April 20 to May 1 in lower Manhattan.
TFF organizers this year have streamlined the Festival’s format, which is now comprised of two competition sections, World Narrative and World Documentary, and three out-of-competition sections: Cinemania, Spotlight and the new Viewpoints. The previous Encounters and Discovery sections have been jettisoned.
The Viewpoints section aims to act "as a snapshot of international independent cinema".
Among the British films to be shown this year, are Peter Mullan's NEDS and the directorial feature debut of Alexandra McGuinness, The Lotus Eaters, which focuses on the self-destructive lifestyle of London's social elite.
In the documentary section, British films include Gemma Atwal's Marathon Boy and Jerry Rothwell's test-tube baby doc Donor Unknown.
The 2011 film selection includes feature films from 32 different countries, including 43 World Premieres, 10 International Premieres, 19 North American Premieres, seven US. Premieres and nine New York Premieres. Ninety-nine directors will be presenting feature works at the Festival, with 54 of these filmmakers presenting their feature directorial debuts. Twelve feature film directors are returning TFF filmmakers. The 2011 film slate was chosen from a total of 5,624 submissions, a record number for the Festival.
Director of Programming David Kwok said: “In programming the Festival this year we had to make some incredibly difficult decisions, but we are excited about the quality, ingenuity, risk-taking and diversity of this year’s program
“We are particularly proud that we have 12 directors returning to Tribeca with their feature films as well as the opportunity to showcase an excellent number of films that have been supported by the Tribeca Film Institute.
"We believe the competition this year is one of our most diverse yet—it includes countries and genres never before represented and highlights the spectrum of world cinema out there today.
"In our new Viewpoints section, we celebrate films that have unique, personal perspectives in their approach to their subjects, and which connect a wide range of global stories. We can’t wait to share them with our audiences.”
The Festival will introduce new awards this year for films in competition, honoring cinematography, screenwriting and editing, providing further opportunity for those in their field to be recognized. New this year, the Best New Narrative Director and Best New Documentary Director awards are now open to any filmmaker in the Festival making the North American or wider premiere of his or her first feature film.
