The 5th Annual TriBeCa Film Festival wraps today - it's not too late to enjoy it or upcoming coverage on air and online

Image: reprinted with permission from TFF

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY - Don't be fooled by the title of yesterday's TriBeCa Film Festival press release:

Fifth Annual TriBeCa Film Festival concludes with May 6 awards ceremony: Blessed By Fire, War Tapes, The Yacoubian Building, The Play & Voices Of Bam win top awards in juried competition; over $300,000 handed out in cash prizes

Today is actually the last day of the festival, which began April 25, and it’s not too late to participate. Numerous films are being screened between 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at almost 20 venues throughout NYC (click here for details). Many are TFF award-winners. As the press release explains:

The fifth annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by American Express, today announced the winners of its competitions at an awards dinner at The Golden Bridge.

If you can't make it in person, you can get a taste of the event. For example, you can view TFF video clips online, savor other tidbits at TriBeCaFilmFestival.org, and partake with fellow participants and me in dishing about films and our TFF 2006 experiences on air and online. More on that later.

This year’s festival served up a feast of exhibits and 247 films from 40 countries to look at, concerts to groove to, activities (such as panel discussions, filmmaker events, gala premiers of major studio releases and the Family Festival) to participate in and people to meet. Like a lavishly appointed holiday smorgasbord, participants could gorge themselves silly or selectively sample from an almost overwhelming menu of activities. Yesterday alone (between 1 and 11 p.m.), I watched three films, met filmmakers, principals from some films, industry "suits," street fair performers, festival staffers (whose day jobs range from full-time gigs with TFF to an interesting array of other activities) and fellow media educators and journalists. I was too pooped to attend the late dinners and industry parties I was invited to, and will write in another column about the pros and cons of attending local versus foreign festivals.

Over the next few weeks, I will dish about several films and my TFF 2006 experience on air and online. Some fellow festival participants and filmgoers will join me. But more on that later. Gotta gulp some breakfast, drop someone at church, and hightail it to TriBeCa. (Click here for directions.)

Stop back here if you want to read about TFF-related articles and broadcasts that I’m working on and contributors who'll have speaking roles. These working titles provide sneak previews –

• Driving around New York City? Be careful who’s in and around your car [joint review of 16 Blocks (which I viewed outside of TFF) and Speedy]
• Several takes on September 11 and beyond (joint review of United 93 and The Heart of Steel)
• Who benefits from participating in TFF and why?
• Go play in the street! And other kid-friendly fun at TFF 2006
• Interviews with "Renegade" 9/11 Volunteers featured in The Heart of Steel, The Sci-Fi Boys Director/Screenwriter Paul Davids, freelance film critic and movie buff Joseph Dimyan, Esq., King Charles Unicycle Troupers, and representatives from the Public School 150 booth at the Street Fair and Cake Man Raven Confectionery (whose delightful red velvet cupcakes kept me going).###