Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined Tribeca Film Festival co-founders Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to kick off the Fourth Annual Tribeca Film Festival in Lower Manhattan. This year's Festival surpasses its previous marks for world, international and North American premieres with over 250 films from 45 countries, and will feature panel discussions, filmmaker events, gala premieres of major studio releases, and the Tribeca Family Festival and Street Fair.  Festival Executive Director Peter Scarlet, American Express Chief Marketing Officer John Hayes, and Emmy Award Winning Director Jonathan Hock also attended the announcement. The Festival began on Tuesday, April 19 with the world premiere of "The Interpreter." All other public screenings and festival events will begin today and run through Sunday, May 1.

"Since it began in 2002, the Tribeca Film Festival has generated tremendous excitement and economic activity throughout Lower Manhattan," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "The Festival attracts thousands of filmmakers and film lovers from around the world for great movies, panel discussions and special events.  The Festival has also helped solidify New York's place as one of the world's great movie cities by taking advantage of our cultural vitality and creating a premier showcase for exciting and innovative filmmaking.  I would like thank Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff for bringing this world-class event to Lower Manhattan when it needed it most and look forward to seeing it return year after year."

"Once again the Tribeca Film Festival is bringing new energy and great film to Lower Manhattan," Governor Pataki said. "New Yorkers and visitors from across the country and around the world will be downtown to enjoy the premieres of over 250 films from 45 different countries. In the four years since the Tribeca Film Festival began, the event has become world-renowned and has succeeded in attracting close to a million people to Lower Manhattan. I am proud that the State is supporting the Festival through a $150,000 grant because the Festival has generated $125 million in economic activity to Lower Manhattan. I want to thank the Festival Co-Founders, Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro, and Craig Hatkoff, as well as American Express for giving Lower Manhattan this much needed cultural and economic boost."

"The mission of our Festival - to help filmmakers bring their films to the widest possible audience - continues to inspire us to take chances and deliver the unexpected," said Jane Rosenthal. "As we grow it is inspiring to see our Festival emerge as a burgeoning international marketplace for independent film."

"To the more than 400,000 people who will visit our neighborhood in the coming days, we hope Tribeca will stand for creativity, diversity and the power of film," said Robert De Niro.

Highlights from this year's festival include the world premiers of Academy Award-winner Sydney Pollack's "The Interpreter" starring Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman, Griffin Dunne's new drama "Fierce People" starring Diane Lane and Donald Sutherland and Danny Leiner's "The Great New Wonderful" starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Edie Falco, Tony Shalhoub and Olympia Dukakis which follows the post 9-11 lives of five New Yorkers.   The Festival will also include The Tribeca Drive-In Theater which will feature free screenings at North Cove in the World Financial Center and The Tribeca Family Festival which will include the latest animated and family features, as well a Street Fair on Saturday, April 30th along Greenwich Street.  In addition, the popular Tribeca Talks Panel Series will take place throughout the Festival and will feature discussions by leading filmmakers, directors, actors, producers and entertainment writers.

"So much goes into making this Festival happen," said Craig Hatkoff. "We are grateful to all of our corporate partners, the more than 2000 volunteers and tireless film festival staff, the generous Tribeca community and artists worldwide who have identified Tribeca as the platform from which to share their work. We look forward to expanding and strengthening these relationships in the years to come."

In keeping with the Tribeca Film Festival's international reach, and as part of the exploration of a cooperative relationship between the Tribeca Film Festival and the Sarajevo Film Festival, this year's Festival will host a delegation of filmmakers from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"In Sarajevo last summer, I immediately sensed a spiritual bond between their film festival and ours," said Peter Scarlet, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Festival. "Imagine a modern, diverse city that suddenly finding itself under siege. After nearly four years of this a group of citizens mounts a celebration of the one art form that has the possibility of reminding everyone of their common humanity - a film festival. That's what happened here, that's what happened in Sarajevo. No other film festivals share such a bond."

The Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (MOFTB) will sponsor the "Made In NY" Award for Best Narrative Feature in the NY, NY category and host an industry-driven Producer's Reception on April 28, where local and international producers attending the festival will learn more about the "Made in NY" incentive program.  The program, which includes a 15% tax credit and a marketing credit featuring free advertising on City owned assets for qualifying productions, has already lured $190 million in feature film business in 2005.  In recognition of the Tribeca partnership, the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting allocated 30 city-owned bus shelters for special ads saluting the Festival and its positive impact on the city.  In addition, this summer, NYC TV will once again air "Tribeca Film Festival Presents," an hour-long, up-close look at the stars, films, and special events of the Festival.

Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002 in response to the attack on the World Trade Center. Now in its fourth year, the Festival's mission is to promote New York City as the world's independent film capital and foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture. Festival organizers estimate that the first three festivals attracted nearly 1 million visitors and created in excess of $125 million in economic activity for Lower Manhattan.   

For more information on the Tribeca Film Festival and to purchase tickets, the public should visit www.tribecafilmfestival.org or call 1-866-941-FEST (3378).