Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Tribeca Film Festival co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal today were joined by American Express Chairman and CEO Kenneth I. Chenault to announce a multi-million dollar, multi-year partnership that will support the Tribeca Film Festival. A celebration of the spirit of New York City and the international independent film community at home and abroad, the inaugural Tribeca Film Festival will take place in Lower Manhattan from May 8 - 12, 2002.

"In addition to being a showcase for the best in independent film, the Tribeca Film Festival will also be a celebration of the cultural vitality and strength of our City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The Festival will bring local, national and international talent to Lower Manhattan for five days of screenings, educational workshops and other special events, and is expected to attract an audience of over 30,000 visitors. This is an enormous boost to our revitalization efforts and I would like to thank Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal for their continued commitment to host the Tribeca Film Festival in Lower Manhattan, and everyone at American Express for their continued support not only illustrated by their decision to sponsor this spectacular event but also by their decision to return to the World Financial Center."

"The Tribeca Film Festival promises to be a world-class event and an opportunity to help renew the spirit of downtown New York," said Kenneth I. Chenault, chairman and chief executive officer of American Express. "The Festival will help make downtown the place to be this summer and will be the first in a series of events, large and small, that American Express will help bring to Lower Manhattan."

"This is exactly what Tribeca and the City needs right now," said Mr. De Niro. "I want to personally thank Ken Chenault and American Express for this tremendous show of support - not just for our film festival, but for Tribeca and downtown as a whole."

"The Festival will create an energy in Lower Manhattan that it needs more than ever and American Express is making that possible," said Ms. Rosenthal.

American Express will serve as Founding Sponsor for the Tribeca Film Festival. The Festival is scheduled for May 8 - 12, the same general time period American Express will be moving its employees back to their headquarters in Lower Manhattan. At the announcement, Co-founders De Niro and Rosenthal announced details of the festival including:

• On May 10th, the "Tribeca Film Festival Rock and Comedy Concert" will take place in Battery Park. The free, public concert will feature A-list musical and comedy performances and an audience of 10,000 people in a large-scale celebration of the vibrancy of New York City.
  
  
• On May 11th and 12th, the Tribeca Family Festival, a two-day family program, will include an all day carnival, film screenings, picnics and other entertainment all taking place throughout the streets of Tribeca.
  
  
• On May 11th, "About a Boy" starring Hugh Grant and Toni Collette will premiere at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, with the cast and filmmakers in attendance.
  
  
• Martin Scorsese will present five newly restored classic films including "Viva Zapata" and "The Hired Hand," which will give the public a rare opportunity to see these films in the way the filmmakers originally intended.
  
  
• Festival jurors now include: Documentaries: Isaac Mizrahi, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Holbrook, Nancy Burski, Sheila Nevins, Fred Wiseman, Sam Pollard. Features: Barry Levinson, Frances McDormand, Kevin Spacey, Janet Maslin. Shorts: Julian Schnabel, Helen Hunt, Gary Ross, Warrington Hudlin, Mary Schmidt Campbell.

In addition to films, the Tribeca Film Festival will feature daylong panel discussions and seminars to provide opportunities for discussion and education about the entertainment industry. Each day will feature speeches by well-known members of the entertainment community, as well as smaller, interactive discussions based on specific themes. Part of the programming slate will include a special presentation of films celebrating New York, which will be screened throughout the festival.

At the conclusion of the Festival, a jury comprised of members of the international film community will present awards for Best Short Film, Best Feature Film, Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Emerging Filmmaker.

Tickets for film screenings and other events will go on sale in April. For more information on the Tribeca Film Festival, the public should call 1-866-941-FEST (3378), or visit the Tribeca Film Festival website at www.tribecafilmfestival.org. For additional information about the Tribeca Film Festival, please contact Lisa Mortman at (212) 843-8280 or Bob Lawson at (212) 843-8024.