March 5, 2008–The Tribeca Film Festival and Universal today announced that “Baby Mama,” written and directed by first-time filmmaker Michael McCullers, will have its world premiere as the opening night film of the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
In a comedy that brings together todays sharpest talent, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey team with writer-director McCullers and producers Lorne Michaels and John Goldwyn to tell the story of two women, one apartment and the nine months that will change their lives. The premiere will take place on Wednesday, April 23; the Festival will run through May 4.
As a film festival with a true commitment to New York City and its film community, what better way to open this years festival than with a New York production that brings together some of the citys most beloved and creative talent, said Tribeca Film Fest co-founder Jane Rosenthal. The creators of this film, both in front of the camera and behind, have been making audiences laugh for years. We look forward to celebrating this crowd-pleasing comedy with our long time collaborators at Universal.
“Baby Mama,” filmed primarily in New York City, is the directorial debut of former Saturday Night Live writer Michael McCullers. Joining Poehler and Fey in the cast are Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor and Sigourney Weaver. Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels produces the film with John Goldwyn.
It's an honor for Baby Mama to open The Tribeca Film Festival, said producer Lorne Michaels. We all live and work in New York City, so there is no way we will not get to the premiere on time.
The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival will announce its primary film slate on March 11, March 13 and March 17, 2008.
About BABY MAMA
Successful and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) has long put her career ahead of a personal life. Now 37, shes finally determined to have a kid on her own. But her plan is thrown a curve ball after she discovers she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant. Undaunted, the driven Kate allows South Philly working girl Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) to become her unlikely surrogate. Simple enough
After learning from the steely head (Sigourney Weaver) of their surrogacy center that Angie is pregnant, Kate goes into precision nesting mode: reading childcare books, baby-proofing the apartment and researching top pre-schools. But the executives well-organized strategy is turned upside down when her Baby Mama shows up at her doorstep with no place to live.
An unstoppable force meets an immovable object as structured Kate tries to turn vibrant Angie into the perfect expectant mom. In a comic battle of wills, they will struggle their way through preparation for the babys arrival. And in the middle of this tug-of-war, theyll discover two kinds of family: the one youre born to and the one you make. The comedy opens nationwide on Friday, April 25, 2008.
Tickets for 2008 Festival
Tickets for the Festival will be $15.00 for evening and weekend screenings and $8.00 for daytime weekday and late night screenings. In addition, the Festival will offer a few select screenings with panel discussions for $25.00.
Select Pass and Package are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.tribecafilmfestival.org or by telephone, toll free, at (866) 941-FEST (3378). Single ticket sales begin for American Express Cardmembers on April 12, 2008, for downtown residents on April 18, 2008 and for the general public on April 19, 2008. Single tickets can be bought at the Main Box Office at 15 Laight Street, online and by telephone. The 2008 Festival will continue ticket discounts for evening and weekend screenings for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Additional information and further details on the Festival can be found at www.tribecafilmfestival.org.
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. Since its founding, the Festival has attracted more than two million attendees from the US and abroad and has generated more than $425 million in economic activity for New York City.
