The Tribeca Film Festival, which begins tomorrow evening with the world premiere of the newest film from New York iconic director Woody Allen, has a strong lineup of European films in its streamlined program of 85 feature films this year. The Spotlight section of the Festival includes a trio of European titles that have won awards at other events or are from established directors/stars with a strong following in the New York film community.

Among the European films making their premieres in the Spotlight section are: EASY VIRTUE (UK), a comical tale based on a Noel Coward play, directed by Stephen Elliot with a delicious cast that includes Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Jessica Biel and Ben Barnes; FEAR ME NOT (Denmark), an intense psychological thriller from director Kristin Levring that won Best Screenplay and Best Actor honors at the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina; and MOON (UK), a hi-tech sci-fi flick starring Sam Rockwell and (the voice of) Kevin Spacey that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, directed by Duncan Jones.

European titles figure strongly in both the World Narrative and World Documentary competitions, which will be reviewed in later articles. As attention turns to downtown Manhattan over the next two weeks, international cinema is again king of the hill. For information on these and other films participating in the Tribeca Film Festival, visit: www.tribecafilm.com/festival
Sandy Mandelberger, Tribeca Dailies Editor