Editor

Competitive Slate Includes 10 World Premieres, Four International Premieres, 14
North American Premieres and Four U.S. Premieres

New York, NY [March 9, 2005] –Tribeca Film Festival founders Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff today joined Peter Scarlet, Executive Director, in announcing feature films in narrative and documentary categories to be presented in competition at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express. There will also be feature competitions in the NY, NY category that will be announced separately at a later date.
The competing films in the Narrative Feature Film Competition and Documentary Feature Film Competition categories were selected from over 1500 films from all over the world.
None of the films to be screened in these sections have been seen before in the U.S., and many are World Premieres or International Premieres (films screening for the first time outside their country of production). Countries represented include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkino Faso, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey and the U.S.
The jurors for each of these competitions will be announced at a later date.

Titles of films selected in the two categories are as follows:

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION:
• 4, directed by Ilya Khrzhanovsky, written by Vladimir Sorokin (Russia) – North American Premiere
• The Beat My Heart Skipped (De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté), directed by Jacques Audiard, written by Audiard and Tonino Benacquista (France) – North American Premiere. A Wellspring release
• Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds (Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak),
directed and written by Ahmet Uluçay (Turkey) - U.S. Premiere
• Gilaneh, directed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Mohsen Abdolvahab, written by
Mohsen Abdolvahab, Bani-Etemad and Farid Mostavi (Iran) - International Premiere
• I Am a Sex Addict, directed and written by Caveh Zahedi (U.S.A.) – North American Premiere
• Iowa (Iowa), directed and written by Matt Farnsworth (U.S.A.) - World Premiere
• Life and Death Plunder, directed by Li Shaohong, written by Liao Yimei (China) - World Premiere
• My Brother's Summer (L'estate di mio fratello), directed and written by Pietro Reggiani (Italy) - World Premiere
• Neo Ned, directed by Van Fischer, written by Tim Boughn (U.S.A.) – World Premiere
• The Night of Truth (La nuit de la vérité), directed by Fanta Régina Nacro, written by Nacro and Marc Gautron (Burkina Faso) - U.S. Premiere
• Simon (Simon), directed and written by Eddy Terstall (Netherlands) – International Premiere
• The Sisters, directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, written by Richard Alfieri (U.S.A.) - World Premiere
• Transamerica, directed and written by Duncan Tucker (U.S.A.) - North American Premiere
• Ushpizin, directed by Gidi Dar, written by Shuli Rand (Israel) - North American Premiere
• Wandering Shadows (La sombra del caminante), directed by Ciro Alfonso Guerra, written by Diana Caicedo (Colombia) - North American Premiere

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION:
• Coca - The Dove from Chechnya, directed and written by Eric Bergkraut (Switzerland) – North American Premiere
• The Devil's Miner, directed by Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani (U.S.A., Germany) - U.S. Premiere
• Favela Rising, directed by Jeff Zimbalist (Brazil, U.S.A.) – World Premiere
• A Flood in Baath Country (Déluge au pays du Baas), directed by Omar Amiralay
(Syria) – North American Premiere
• From Two Men and A War, directed by Robert Drew (U.S.A) - North American Premiere
• Little Peace Of Mine (shalom katan sheli), directed by Eyal Avneri (Israel) –North American Premiere
• Looking for the Lost Voice (Bikvot Hakol Havud), directed and written by Tzipi Trope (Israel) – International Premiere
• El Perro Negro: Stories from the Spanish Civil War, directed by Peter Forgács (Netherlands, Hungary) - North American Premiere
• Pilgrimage, directed by Bahman Kiarostami (Iran) – World Premiere (shown on a program with Infidels by the same director)
• Prostitution Behind the Veil (Prostitution bag sloret), directed by Nahid Persson (Denmark) - North American Premiere
• Punk: Attitude, directed by Don Letts (U.K., U.S.A.) – World Premiere
• The Sky Turns (El cielo gira), directed and written by Mercedes Álvarez (Spain) –
U.S. Premiere
• Souls of Naples (Zielen van Napels), directed and written by Vincent Monnikendam (Netherlands) – International Premiere
• A State of Mind, directed by Daniel Gordon (U.K., North Korea) – North American Premiere. A Kino International release
• To The Other Side (Al Otro Lado), directed by Natalia Almada (U.S.A., Mexico)–World Premiere
• Totally Personal (Sasvim Licno), directed by Nedzad Begovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – World Premiere
• Towards Mathilde (Vers Mathilde), directed by Claire Denis (France) – North American Premiere
Synopses, cast and crew credits and press contacts for all feature-length films in competition can be viewed in the press section of the Tribeca Film Festival website –www.tribecafilmfestival.org.
“The inventiveness and originality of this year’s competition program shows the strength of independent film today,” said Rosenthal, co-founder of the Festival.
“Our films represent a myriad of perspectives of filmmakers from around the world and we look forward to bringing their films to a broader audience.”
Awards in the two competition sections will be presented in the following categories: Best Narrative Feature, Best New Narrative Filmmaker, Best Documentary Feature, Best New Documentary Filmmaker, Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film, Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film. Additional Festival awards include the Best NY, NY Narrative Feature, Best NY, NY Documentary Feature, Audience Award for Best Feature Film, Audience Award for Best Family Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short and the Student Visionary Award.
The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now in its fourth year, the festival's mission is to promote New York City as the world's independent film capital and to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture. The first three festivals attracted nearly 1 million visitors and created in excess of $125 million in economic activity for Lower Manhattan. American Express is the Founding Partner of the Tribeca Film Festival. Part of a multi-year relationship, the sponsorship demonstrates American Express’ dedication to the goals of the Festival and the revitalization of lower Manhattan.