April 25, 2008–The Tribeca Film Festival and Warner announced that the new high-octane, live action family adventure Speed Racer, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, will have a special presentation screening as the closing night film of the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express.
Speed Racer, a Warner Picture's presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, stars Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox. Several of the cast members will be in attendance at the special screening to be held on Saturday, May 3rd at the BMCC TPAC in Lower Manhattan. The film will also screen at the Pace University Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts.
Warner has been a big part of the Festival many times over the years and we are thrilled that the Wachowskis and producer Joel Silver are bringing Speed Racer to us this year to close the Festival, said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Tribeca Film Festival is a defining event in New Yorks entertainment culture, so it is an honor to have Speed Racer chosen as the festivals closing night screening, said producer Joel Silver.
About SPEED RACER, in theatres May 9
From the Wachowski brothers, creators of the groundbreaking The Matrix trilogy, comes the live-action, high-octane film Speed Racer, which follows the adventures of the young racecar driver Speed (Emile Hirsch) in his quest for glory in his thunderous Mach 5. Born to race cars, Speed Racer is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the companys maniacal owner but uncovers a terrible secretsome of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rivalthe mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)to win the race that had taken his brothers life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
Joel Silver, who previously worked with the Wachowski brothers on The Matrix movies and V for Vendetta, produced the film under his Silver Pictures banner. Grant Hill, Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski are also producers. David Lane Seltzer, Michael Lambert and Bruce Berman are the executive producers. The film stars Emile Hirsch; Christina Ricci; John Goodman; Susan Sarandon; Matthew Fox; Benno Frmann; Hiroyuki Sanada; Asian pop superstar Rain, making his American feature film debut; and Richard Roundtree.
The live-action Speed Racer will showcase the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers films. The film is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Anarchos Productions.
About Tribeca Film Festival:
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 Festivals 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.
