Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal was joined yesterday by New York Governor David Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and many others to kickoff the seventh annual Tribeca Film Festival.

Festival organizers were joined by filmmakers participating in this year's festival at the press conference, which took place at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in lower Manhattan.

The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival will run from yesterady to May 4 and will include 121 feature films and 79 short films representing41 different countries. The film slate features 53 world premieres,6 international premieres, and 30 North American premieres.

In addition to the line-up of films, this year's festival highlights include an array of panel discussions, gala premieres of major studio releases -- including Universal's Baby Mama and Warner Bros. Pictures' Speed Racer -- and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. There are also free events, including drive-in outdoor movies, the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day.

"Great films energize our lives," said Rosenthal. "We started this festival to heal our neighborhood and bring the magic of film to the city we love."

"Over the next 11 days we will view the world through the lens of filmmakers -- advancing their work as we seek to inspire and entertain our audiences," she added.

"New York has inspired filmmakers since the industry's beginning," said Governor Paterson. "I am proud to have our great state foster an even greater number of productions, and feel fortunate that we have an event like the Tribeca Film Festival to showcase the work of great filmmakers and highlight the importance of this industry in our state."

"New York City offers the best backdrop in the world to make movies, and every spring, Lower Manhattan offers the best place in the world to celebrate them," said Mayor Bloomberg.

"The Tribeca Film Festival was founded to spur revitalization downtown, and its ongoing success reaffirms Lower Manhattan's role as a vibrant cultural destination and New York City's place as a center of movie magic."

Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.

The festival's mission focuses on assisting filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promoting New York City as a major filmmaking center.

Since its founding, the festival has attracted more than 2 million attendees from the United States and abroad and has generated more than US$425 million in economic activity for New York City.