Tribeca Film Festival 2019 to open with Roger Ross Williams' documentary on New York City's Apollo Theater

The 18th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival will open with the premiere of a documentary about New York City’s iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem. Festival organizers Wednesday announced that Roger Ross Williams’ The Apollo will kick off the annual festival 24 April. The HBO film covers the 85-year history of the Apollo, leading up to a production of Ta-Nehisi (tah neh-HAH’-see) Coates’ Between the World and Me. [caption id=“attachment_6088001” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The Apollo Theatre. Image from Twitter @JeffSamuel25[/caption] The Apollo will also host the premiere. Opening night of the downtown New York festival has in recent years taken place at the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side. Robert DeNiro, co-founder of the festival, called the Apollo Theater “a symbol of the creative spirit of New York and beyond.” “We’re excited to finally be going uptown to play the Apollo. The Apollo gives audiences an inside look at the major role this institution has played for the past 85 years. It’s seen the emergence of everything from Jazz to R&B to Soul and Gospel — all quintessential American music genres, and this is the time to remind people of our nation’s rich history,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder and CEO of the festival in a statement, reports IndieWire. The Tribeca Film Festival runs 24 April through 5 May. (With inputs from The Associated Press)