World premiere of "In the Heights" to open 2021 Tribeca Film Festival
The 20th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival will open June 9 with the world premiere of the musical "In the Heights," Jon M. Chu's film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning show.
"In the Heights" was originally scheduled to debut in the Summer of 2020, but Warner Brothers postponed its release because of the pandemic.
For the first time ever, the festival's opening night screenings will be held at outdoor venues in all five boroughs.
"It is such an honor to open the 20th anniversary Tribeca Festival with 'In the Heights,'" said Miranda. "We're so excited to welcome them uptown!"
He added: "We can't wait to share this musical love letter to our community, with our community, in our community."
The Broadway show, which opened in 2008 and ran for three years, won four Tonys, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations.
The film, direct by Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians"), stars "Hamilton" alum Anthony Ramos as bodega owner Usnavi (a role played by Miranda on stage), Corey Hawkins ("Straight Outta Compton"), Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Jimmy Smits, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Stephanie Beatriz. Miranda also has a small role in the film.
"In the Heights" will go into general release in theatres on June 11, simultaneously streaming for one month on HBO Max.
The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9-20, will feature outdoor screenings, events and exhibits throughout the city, conducted using proper safety protocols.
Festival co-founder Robert De Niro said, "The Tribeca Film Festival was born out of our mission to bring people together in the aftermath of 9/11. We're still doing it…. And as New York emerges from the shadow of COVID-19, it seems just right to bring people together again in-person for our 20th anniversary festival."
Full festival lineup will be announced shortly. Festival passes are now on sale.
For more information go to tribecafilm.com/festival.
To watch a trailer for "In the Heights" click on the video player below.
