Tribeca Film Festival to open with "SNL" documentary "Live From New York!"

The 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival will kick off with a documentary on another New York institution: "Saturday Night Live."

The festival announced Thursday that "Live From New York!" will be its opening-night film. Directed by Bao Nguyen, the documentary focuses on the show's early years and was made with Lorne Michaels' cooperation.

"After 40 years, the timing just felt right," Michaels said in the announcement.

Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal called it "the story of a creative journey from pilot to institution and a tribute to the moments that kept us laughing and talking long after the episodes aired."

Robert De Niro, who also co-founded the festival, added, "The selection of 'Live from New York!' to open the 14th Tribeca Film Festival is personally gratifying to me on several levels. Having hosted 'SNL' three times, and guested on several occasions, I speak from a first-hand experience about 'SNL''s rightful place in our culture as well as a welcome addition to our festival."

The film adds to an already robust celebration of "SNL," which is airing a 40th-anniversary special Sunday.

"Live From New York!" isn't the first documentary on "SNL" to debut at Tribeca. In 2010, James Franco premiered his "Saturday Night," which depicted a week in the life of the show.

This year's Tribeca Film Festival runs April 15-26.