FilmNewYork

Don't look now....but green monsters are walking the streets of Manhattan!!! Such news will hardly get a busy, self-involved New Yorker to bat an eyelash, except that the green ones are  named Shrek and Fiona, the beloved animated couple who have already starred in three feature films and a Broadway musical last season.

Well, Shrek is back....walking the red carpet at the Opening Night Gala screening of SHREK FOREVER AFTER at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday night at the Sony Cinemas on the Upper West Side (the Festival's only screening event above 23rd Street). The film, produced by Dreamworks Animation and directed by Mike Mitchell, features the voices of such returnees as Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy (who are all expected to walk the red carpet as well).

In what is announced as the final SHREK film in the series, Shrek longs for the days when he felt ike a "real ogre". He is duped into signing a pact with Rumpelstilskin and suddenly finds himself in an alternate version of Far Far Away, where Rumpelstilskin is king and Shrek and his beloved Fiona have never met. It therefore falls on Shrek to undo all he's done and restore the world and reclaim the love of the only woman who sees his beauty within.

The film, which opens worldwide in May, brings the beloved characters to 3D animation, the first of its kind for Dreamworks Studios. With 3D all the rage these days and the franchise's popularity already a proven commodity, look to SHREK FOREVER AFTER to be a major box office winner in the US and worldwide. To get in on the green fun and view the film's trailer, visit: http://www.shrekforeverafter.com/

Snagging the green one is yet another coup for this year's Tribeca Film Festival. The family-friendly gala screening on Wednesday evening is being hosted by Doha Tribeca Film Festival, the new Middle East film event that takes place in late October in the kingdom of Qatar.

For a complete list of films screening at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, visit: www.tribecafilm.com. To view a series of films and original content on VOD platforms in the USA, visit: www.tribeca.com and look for listings under Tribeca Film Festival Virtual.

Sandy Mandelberger, Film New York Editor