The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express^®, today announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Cinemania sections, as well as Special Screenings and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival lineup.

The Spotlight section, co-sponsored by Cadillac and JetBlue, screens 34 films, 22 narratives and 12 documentaries that demonstrate the breadth of films at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nineteen films in the selection will have their world premieres at the Festival.

“The Spotlight program is a wonderful encapsulation of the originality and diversity of filmmaking that Tribeca seeks to highlight. We have films from emerging filmmakers as well as seasoned veterans, narratives that showcase stellar performances and insightful writing, and documentaries that challenge and inform their audiences,” said Frédéric Boyer, newly appointed Artistic Director of the Tribeca Film Festival.

“It was important that we head into Tribeca’s second decade highlighting projects that were attuned to the pulse of our cultural climate,” said Director of Programming Genna Terranova. “That said, both consciousness and levity play a prominent role in this year's selection. We are also eager to introduce audiences to a group of films that are reworking genres and testing traditional modes of storytelling."

The 2012 online Film Guide will go live on Monday, March 12. The 11th Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 18 to 29 in lower Manhattan.

Joe Papp in Five Acts 
Directed by Tracie Holder and Karen Thorsen
(USA) – World Premiere, Documentary

In Joe Papp’s eyes, art is for everyone, not just a privileged few. This is the story of this indomitable, street-wise champion of the arts who brought more theater to more people than any other producer in history. Co-produced with American Masters and featuring Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Kevin Kline, James Earl Jones, and more, this documentary lets Papp’s great accomplishments and tumultuous personal history be revealed by the artists he helped create—and sometimes tried to destroy.

Queen: Days Of Our Lives
Directed by Matt O’Casey
(UK) – Documentary

Relive the triumphant legacy of Queen in this comprehensive documentary of the band’s career from the late 1960s to today. Packed full of rare archival footage of the band hashing out their signature overdub sound in the recording studio, mind-blowing live performances, and Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon’s candid reflections on their career and the last days of Freddie Mercury, Queen: Days Of Our Lives is any fan’s dream.

The Zen of Bennett
Conceived, created, and produced by Danny Bennett, produced by Jennifer Lebeau, directed by Unjoo Moon
(USA) – World Premiere, Documentary

At 85, not only does Tony Bennett still have the smoothest pipes in the music business, he’s got the kind of philosophy that has made him one of the most beloved and respected performers of the last six decades. Made with as much class and refinement as Tony himself, this is an insider’s look at the icon as he records his latest duets collection with stars like Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin, and—bittersweetly—Amy Winehouse.

Statistics

The 2012 film slate was chosen from a total of 5950 submissions, a record number for the Festival. The 2012 film selection includes feature films from 32 different countries, including 54 World Premieres, 4 International Premieres, 16 North American Premieres, 10 U.S. Premieres and six New York Premieres. A total of 107 directors will be presenting feature works at the Festival, with 33 of these filmmakers presenting their feature directorial debuts. Among these directors, 25 are women. Twenty-six feature film directors are returning TFF filmmakers.

Awards

New this year, two feature films—one narrative and one documentary—will be selected to receive the Heineken Audience Award, the audience choice for best feature film. Films playing in the World Narrative Competition, World Documentary Competition, Viewpoints, Spotlight and Cinemania sections are eligible. (In past years only one film was chosen by the audience.)

Check out more of the slate:
TFF 2012: World Narrative Competition
TFF 2012: World Documentary Competition
TFF 2012: Viewpoints
TFF 2012: Spotlight
TFF 2012: Cinemania

Get ahead of the crowd and buy your advance ticket package today! Learn more: TFF 2012 Ticket Packages

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