Tribeca Film Festival Launches Online Experience, 4/20

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) today unveiled the Tribeca (Online) Film Festival supported by founding partner American Express. The pioneering digital initiative will allow domestic audiences to view feature and short films for free and worldwide audiences to engage with filmmakers and industry experts as TFF's 10th edition runs concurrently in lower Manhattan from April 20 to May 1.

The debut of the 2011 Tribeca (Online) Film Festival offers film enthusiasts nationwide new avenues to experience a film festival. Tribeca (Online) is employing the latest digital video and web technology to deliver an immersive, interactive experience unlike any other, re-contextualizing Festival content and presentation.

The multi-dimensional experience features five areas: Festival Streaming Room, Live From..., Tribeca Q&A, Filmmaker Feed, and the Future of Film blog.

· The Streaming Room will host six feature films from the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, including two that are making their world premieres at TFF, and 18 short films, four of which are world premieres, and 9 of which retrospective short films from past Tribeca Film Festivals. Each film will have three to five 24-hour screening windows, during which there will be a select number of "seats" available. Using an innovative digital reservation system, viewers can reserve "seats" at www.tribecaonline.com. Reservations begin on April 12 for American Express Cardmembers and April 18 for general public. Online viewers will be able to vote for the Best Tribeca Online Feature Film, a prize of $25,000, sponsored by American Express, and Best Tribeca Online Short Film, a prize of $5,000, sponsored by Accenture.

· In Live From....online audiences across the globe will have the ability to watch live streams of Festival events, including the opening press conference, red carpet premieres, and the award show. Viewers will also have the opportunity to engage with other audience members and onsite participants.

· Tribeca Q&A, which launches today, will offer the online audience the opportunity to engage with the larger online community, one another, and experts by submitting questions to a pool of 20-25 exciting film and new media experts from Tribeca's Jane Rosenthal, Geoff Gilmore, and Nancy Schafer, to Whoopi Goldberg, and BrIan Williams, and filmmakers David Gordon Green, and Zach Braff, plus a host of participating Tribeca (Online) filmmakers, programmers, actors, jurors, film experts, and more. Community members will vote on individual questions, and top-rated queries will be submitted for official response, made available to the public.

· The Filmmaker Feed contains aggregated information on all Tribeca (Online) Film Festival filmmakers, each of whom will have a custom page on the feed, with a biography, interviews, favorite links, social media feeds (Twitter/Facebook), blog posts, vide updates, and more;

· The Future of Film blog, brings together experts from the worlds of film and technology to comment on the ever-changing media environment in featured posts. Participants will be announced early April;

The selected feature films each explore poignantly relevant social themes - from the effect of forbidden love to the strength of community, to the power of social networking. The complete list of feature films streamed on the Tribeca (Online) Film Festival is as follows:

· Donor Unknown, directed by Jerry Rothwell. (UK) - North American Premiere, Documentary. JoEllen Marsh grew up knowing her father only as Donor 150. As one of the first generation of "test-tube babies," she yearns for connection with potential siblings, and turns to the Internet to track them down. As JoEllen slowly broadens her family tree, in the process she forges a fascinatingly modern model of family. After connecting with dozens of siblings across the country, JoEllen decides it's finally time to seek out Donor 150.

· Flowers of Evil (Fleurs du Mal), directed by David Dusa, written by David Dusa, Raphaëlle Maes, and Louise MolieÌre. (France) - North American Premiere, Narrative. Paris-Tehran. A rootless story of young love between Gecko, an Algerian-French hotel bellman and parkourer, and Anahita, an Iranian student forced to leave her country for her own safety after the controversial elections in 2009. Obsessed with tracking the political movement, Anahita's friends broadcast through YouTube and coordinate via Twitter. Romance and the Internet become the ground to explore histories lost and identity yet to be found. In French, Farsi with English subtitles.

· My Last Round (Mi Último Round), directed and written by Julio Jorquera. (Chile, Argentina) - North American Premiere, Narrative. When successful boxer Octavio falls in love with kitchen hand Hugo, they move from their small-town homes in the south of Chile to capital city Santiago to protect their taboo relationship. But when Hugo feels unexpected desire for co-worker Jennifer, Octavio is left heartbroken and throws himself into a high-stakes boxing match against all odds. A handsome cast and evocative cinematography offer a sexy, subtle film that evokes hits like The Wrestler and Brokeback Mountain. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Neon Flesh (Carne de Neon), directed and written by Paco Cabezas. (Spain, Argentina, Sweden) - North American Premiere. Young hustler Ricky was left to a life on the streets at the age of 12 when his hooker mother got sent to the can, but upon learning she'll soon be released, Ricky enlists a couple of good-for-nothing buddies to help him open a whorehouse as a tribute to Mom. This stylish, edgy crime flick plunges headlong into the fringe world of pimps and junkies where succeeding in business can cost your life.... In Spanish with English subtitles

New York Says Thank You, directed by Scott Rettberg. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. New York Says Thank You is an epic story following the journey of New Yorkers whose lives were touched by September 11 as they travel the country helping communities rebuild after disasters. Along the way, they face their emotions and ultimately triumph over tragedy through an idea that evolved from a five-year-old New York City boy.