April 22, 2009 01:00PM EDT

Rush Ticket Info & More

While many Film Festivals simply close the door when tickets for a screening sell out in advance, that policy is not pursued at Tribeca. Instead, to make each film accessible to as many cineastes as possible, Tribeca uses a Rush Tickets policy. Rush Tickets work very simply. For each screening or panel discussion that is providing Rush Tickets, a line will begin to form roughly an hour before the event's start time. Fifteen minutes before the event begins, people on the line will be allowed to purchase Rush Tickets and get into the event, as capacity allows.

Rush Tickets are not discounted*, and Tribeca can't guarantee that if you're on the line, you'll be able to get in. That being said, if you show up an hour in advance, your odds look pretty good. And let's face it—if a film's screening is limited to Rush Tickets, there's probably a reason it's so popular. We just checked Weather.com this morning, and it looks like the next week is going to be beautiful. Stand outside in the sun. Read your favorite magazine. How long is an hour, anyway?

*The exception is all Rush Tickets at BMCC's Tribeca Performing Arts Center. ALL rush tickets sold at TPAC—including some red-carpet events—will only cost you a discounted $10! And it's a big theater, so try your luck!

If buying tickets simply isn't your thing, period, look no further than the Tribeca Drive-In series. Held in the World Financial Center Plaza, this series has something for everyone. Completely free, the series will feature screenings of three films: retro Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Thursday, 4/23; classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on Friday, 4/24; and contemporary selection P-Star Rising on Saturday, 4/25. Tons of fun activities for kids will be offered at the TMNT screening, a great panel discussion with famous screenwriters will occur after Sundance, and P-Star Rising is sure to be an inspirational tale to everyone in the audience—how could you go wrong?