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Elton John to Perform at Tribeca Film Festival Opening Night

By DNAinfo Staff on March 3, 2011 11:49am

The documentary,
The documentary, "The Union," about Elton John and Leon Russell will open the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.
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Joseph Guay

Mariel S. Clark

DNAinfo News Editor

MANTATTAN — This year's Tribeca Film Festival will kick off outdoors with a documentary by Cameron Crowe and a performance by Elton John, festival organizers announced Wednesday.

The 2011 festival will begin April 20 with a free and open to the public showing of "The Union" at the North Cove of the World Financial Plaza, organizers said in a statement.

The documentary, directed by Crowe whose credits include "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous" among others, looks at the creative life of Elton John and at his collaboration with Leon Russell following the pair through the creation and recording of the album, organizers said.

"As a longtime fan of both artists, it was a pleasure to spend a year filming their collaboration," Crowe said of the film, in the statement. "We can't wait to show it to one of the greatest audiences in the world, the Tribeca Film Festival."

The premiere of the movie will be followed by a performance by Elton John, organizers said.

"It’s a special opportunity to open our 10th Festival in this distinct and unique way — not only are we inviting the community to join us for the world premiere of Cameron Crowe’s film 'The Union,' but to have Elton, whose music transcends generations, perform after is an extraordinary gift to our Festival and more specifically the downtown community," said festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal, in the statement.

The festival runs through May 1.