Held near Ground Zero, the free outdoor festival was kicked off with the screening of 'The Union' and followed by a performance from Elton John.
- April 21, 2011
AceShowbiz -
The 10th Tribeca Film Festival was officially kicked off Wednesday, April 20 at the World Financial Center with the arrival of celebrities on the red carpet. Director Martin Scorsese, actress Anna Kendrick, musician Elton John all gathered for the first-ever opening night outdoor community event which was followed by the screening of the opening film Cameron Crowe's "The Union".
"The Union" is a documentary about the musical collaboration between John and singer/songwriter Leon Russell. "I never thought when we started making this that we would end up here. We didn't know what would happen. We just wanted Cameron to document what was going on in the studio," John told NY 1.
The movie was introduced by Scorsese who said, "For me, movies and music have been inseparable. They always have been and they always will be. And I know that the same holds true for Cameron Crowe." Following the screening, John performed live.
Tribeca which is held near the Ground Zero, was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001. Rosenthal in her speech thanked New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, filmmakers and the sponsors. "I could have never have imagined that we would find ourselves here today nearly a decade later," she said.
Other highlights from the free event was a performance of "Walk Like an Egyptian" and comedian Denis Leary making jokes about Meat Loaf and Gary Busey.
