Nicole Kidman's latest movie The Interpreter is set to open the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Tuesday

Nicole Kidman's latest movie The Interpreter is set to open the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Tuesday.

The festival - which is now in its fourth year - will showcase more than 250 films during its 13-day run.

It was originally set up by actor Robert De Niro in 2002 to revitalise parts of Manhattan following the 11 September attacks of 2001.

As well as marking the US debut of Sydney Pollack's The Interpreter, the festival will host 60 world premieres.

Previous years have kicked off with About a Boy (2002), Down With Love (2003) and Raising Helen (2004).

Jane Rosenthal, who co-founded the festival with De Niro, said the choice of The Interpreter reflected a change in mood since the 11 September attacks.

She said: "In the first couple of years we did the film festival, we needed a comedy and we needed to laugh down here, and we very specifically looked for pictures that were going to let us laugh.

"We were trying to strike the right tone, blocks from Ground Zero. It was so much about trying to give our community a new memory.

"Now the neighbourhood is up on its feet more and I think you can have a picture like The Interpreter to open the festival."

The festival starts on Tuesday and runs through until 1 May.

Half of the 250 films being shown are from the US, with the other half coming from 44 different countries.

World premieres include The Great New Wonderful, which interweaves five stories of post-9/11 New York, and a remake of the horror classic House of Wax co-starring Paris Hilton.

Other festival highlights include Through the Fire and a drive-in-style showing of Mad Hot Ballroom, a documentary about New York school kids learning how to dance.

Also showing is the acclaimed BBC documentary The Power of Nightmares, about Islamic fundamentalism.

"I think it's a stronger film programme than ever, and part of the reason is when you mature a little bit, you get better," Rosenthal added.

(BBC)

laugh down : 用笑聲打斷