The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express, has a very special event to close out the annual festivities. Marvel's The Avengers, the epic action-adventure directed by Joss Whedon, stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

Closing night will take place at Tribeca BMCC Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 28, and is sponsored by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin. 

And in an only-at-Tribeca twist, the on-screen Super Heroes will be joined by everyday heroes from police agencies, fire departments, first responders, and various branches of the U.S. military, who will be invited to the screening. We will celebrate these local icons, whose presence will honor the founding spirit of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Marvel Studios’ producer Kevin Feige says, "We are proud that Marvel’s The Avengers is the closing film of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and we are excited to welcome local heroes to the screening as special guests. We all know and love our iconic Super Heroes, but when it really counts, it's our real-life heroes who save the world every day by making it a better place for all of us."

The Avengers is an engaging, character-driven story packed with action, adventure and special effects. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins to assemble the iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. The Avengers is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

“Marvel’s The Avengers is an exciting ride that absolutely transports audiences,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder of the Tribeca Film Festival. “It is the perfect way to end our 11^th Festival.”

Comments director Joss Whedon, “Showing at Tribeca is both an honor and a double homecoming for me, who grew up in Manhattan, and for the movie, which wrapped production there.  I’m thoroughly psyched to be closing the Festival with our intimate little think-piece.” 

Marvel’s The Avengers is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures, and will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on May 4, 2012.