MOVIES: Lucky Seven for the Tribeca Film Festival

New York has never lacked for movies. From picture palacesto hole-in-the-wall art houses, there’s a place to see almost any kind ofmovie. But, until the Tribeca Film Festival started seven years ago, therewasn’t a big, fancy grab-bag festival to be found in the city. So, the city’smovie fans trudged to Cannes, Sundance and Toronto to see films before theywere famous.

Now in its seven year, Tribeca’s changed all that, and at apress conference on Wednesday morning a grab-bag of Tribeca supporters—GovernorDavid Patterson, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, director Doug Liman, as well as somefilmmakers from this year’s festival—gathered to kick off a festival that growsmore comfortable with itself each year.

Patterson, who is legally blind, kicked things off bytelling the audience that he can see the movies, but only if he sits in thefront row. But, his best line, at least for those who make movies, came when heannounced a tripling of tax credits, from 10 percent to 30 percent, for filmsmade in the state, which should allow New York to take back some of its filmwork from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Bloomberg didn’t have any new tax programs to offer, but hedid try to best Patterson by talking up his performance in last week’s episodeof  “30 Rock” with Tina Fey, and anupcoming appearance in the film version of “Sex in the City.”

With just three questions from the hundred or so mediaoutlets there, it’s clear that the only news was that the festival is started,but that’s enough. Tonight, it’s the premiere of “Baby Momma,” directed by Fey,who has become a patron saint of this year’s fest. But, most importantly,Tribeca has shown that in just seven years New York can pull off a film festivalthat’s as important as it’s more established rivals.