2012 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL TO OPEN WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES’ THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

Comedy from Forgetting Sarah Marshall Creative Team Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller and Producer Judd Apatow to Kick Off 11th Edition of TFF on April 18

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) and Universal Pictures today announced that The Five-Year Engagement will open the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express. Director/writer/producer Nicholas Stoller and writer/star Jason Segel of Forgetting Sarah Marshall reteam for the irreverent comedy, which also stars Emily Blunt, Rhys Ifans, Chris Pratt and Alison Brie. The premiere will take place on Wednesday, April 18, and the Festival will run through April 29.

Beginning where most romantic comedies end, The Five-Year Engagement looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Segel and Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle. The film, also produced by Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Rodney Rothman (Get Him to the Greek), was written by Segel and Stoller. It opens on April 27.

“The Tribeca Film Festival has always celebrated the power of creative collaboration, and there is no better example of that than The Five-Year Engagement,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival. “We are so pleased to join with Universal Pictures to bring the wit and energy of this hilarious and affecting film to Tribeca as we kick off our 11th edition.”

“When Jason and I met during the production of Undeclared, we couldn’t have imagined that one day we would write a comedy that would open such a prestigious film festival as Tribeca,” said Stoller. “We are so honored that the festival organizers have given us this platform to premiere the film. To be honest, this is all just a ploy to stand on top of a building with Robert De Niro and look out over New York City at dusk.”

The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival will announce its feature film slate on March 6 and 8, 2012.

About the Tribeca Film Festival:
The Tribeca Film Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. It is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.

Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling.

The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,300 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 3.7 million attendees and has generated an estimated $725 million in economic activity for New York City.