The 11th annual Tribeca Film Festival, which kicks off April 18 in downtown New York City, will showcase an eclectic array of cinema from around the globe—and even honor Justin Bieber with a special award. This year, the festival’s opening night film is The Five-Year Engagement, a comedy starring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, directed by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), while the closing night movie is the superhero extravaganza The Avengers. Hollywood fare aside, the festival boasts intriguing documentaries on broke ex-pro athletes, “manscaping,” and the ubiquitous James Franco, as well as several notable features. Those who can’t make the trip to Manhattan can see some of the films competing at Tribeca online via tribecaonline.com. Read on for The Daily Beast’s top picks at this year’s festival.
By Marlow Stern