Spend your first Festival Friday checking out these free events and panels! Oh, and some more films, of course, including the invasion of The Goonies to the Tribeca Drive-In! (It's free, so bring the kiddoes.)

Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper—Biography on Film
1:00 PM: Barnes & Noble Union Square
Price: FREE

Join us as TFF filmmakers Ramona S. Diaz (Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey), Petter Ringbom (The Russian Winter), Andreas Koefoed (Ballroom Dancer), and Daniel A. Miller (Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie), and more discuss the unique ways in which they explored the life of a real individual and shaped that person's story into a film. Moderated by Basil Tsiokos, documentary consultant and Sundance Film Festival programming associate.

Tribeca Talks Industry: Film & Brands
2:30 PM: SVA Theater
Price: FREE

Join producer and director Brett Ratner, American Express' Vice President of Global Media, Sponsorship and Experiential Marketing Rich Lehrfeld, GE's Global Executive Director of Advertising and Branding Judy Hu, the Norman Lear Center's Managing Director and Director of Research Johanna Blakley; and Chief Marketing Officer of Chipotle Mexican Grill Mark Crumpacker for a conversation about how they are collaborating and where this increasingly complex and sophisticated world is heading. Moderated by our own Jon Patricof, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. 

Apple Store Panel: Picture Paris
7:oo PM: Apple Store-14th St
Price: FREE

Join actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) and director Brad Hall (SNL) as they discuss their hilarious new short film . With her son leaving for college, an ordinary suburban mom (Louis-Dreyfus) compensates for her empty nest by planning a life-changing trip to Paris. When her plans go hilariously awry, she finds herself wondering if she'll ever have what she really desires: Love, passion, revenge... and Paris.

Goonies
Tribeca Drive-in
Opens at 6:00 PM/Movie at 8:00 PM: The World Financial Center Plaza

Sloth love Chunk! Everyone's favorite childhood movie is playing for FREE at the Tribeca Drive-In for one night only! Co-sponsored by Jet Blue and Time Warner Cable, make sure to grab some Rocky Road ice cream and a couple of Baby Ruths to build up your strength for our special "truffle shuffle" contest and the first ever Tribeca Treasure Hunt. It's Friday night, so bring the kids! No school tomorrow! 

TFF Films to Watch Today:

Be the envy of all your cinephile friends when you see these movies before the rest of the pack.  

TFF/ESPN Sports Film Festival Gala: Benji
6:00 PM, BMCC TPAC

a. The movie is good. Benji is the story of 17-year-old Ben Wilson: a sweet-natured youngster from Chicago's fabled South Side, and America's top high school basketball prospect in 1984. In November of his senior year, his life was abruptly and tragically cut short, sending ripples of horror through the city and the country. Filmmakers Coodie and Chike bring viceral sophistication to a narrative that feels as raw today as it did 28 years ago.

b. It's a GALA, people! That's right—the stars are turning out tonight for the centerpiece film of the TFF/ESPN Sports Film Festival, sponsored by Time Warner Cable. Talent scheduled to appear (subject to change) includes: Prince Amukamara, Martellus Bennett, Ahmad Bradshaw, David Tyree, Pras, LaShawn Merritt, Damon Dash, Vashtie, Common, Mos Def, Lamar Odom, Rob Kardashian, Wood Harris, Steve Jackson... Don't miss it!

Rubberneck
6:oo PM, Clearview Cinemas Chelsea

Indie it-guy Alex Karpovsky (Tiny Furniture, HBO's Girls) stars in two TFF 2012 movies (the other is Supporting Characters), but this one he directed as well. Check out “this slow-burn psychosexual character study, taking on the thriller genre with his signature intimate scope and personal voice.” Seriously, this movie has suspense and the best kind of “creep-factor.”

Downeast
6:45 PM, Clearview Cinemas Chelsea

The slogan on the 'Welcome to Maine' sign leading into Gouldsboro reads “Open for Business,” but the recent closure of the sardine canning factory has brought this small coastal town to a total standstill. Its laid-off residents—mostly 70-year-olds—just want to get back to work. Acclaimed directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin shed new light on the trying task of putting America back to work—their style is gentle, poignant, poetic. And—in a man who's willing to risk it all to succeed, and a generation that still gives 110 percent—they find hope.

RAt King
11:30 PM, AMC Village VII

And if you're looking ahead to the weekend, check out these gems on Saturday!

Tribeca/NYFEST Soccer Day
Saturday, April 21
9 am to 6 pm, Hudson River Park's Pier 40
Price: FREE

Bring the kiddoes and “kick it” on this Saturday of soccer + film + celebrating Spring in NYC! Company teams from the film, music, sports, fashion, TV, advertising and design industries will battle it out during the 5-a-side tournament. Kids will have opportunities to participate in the Youth Soccer Showcase—with skills, drills, pointers and competitions supervised by professional coaches—throughout the day. And the highlight of the day will be the highly anticipated celebrity match.

ESPN Panel: Beyond the Playing Field
Saturday, April 21
2:30 pm, SVA Theater
Price: FREE

ESPN Films has become an industry heavyweight in the genre of sports filmmaking, even redefining the genre. Inspired by the 40th anniversary of Title IX, ESPN Films will air a series of nine documentaries in 2013 that will highlight women in sports, all by female storytellers. Join us for a conversation on the evolution of women's sports with director Amy Berg, ESPN Films' Libby Geist, producer and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal, and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker. Moderated by ESPN's Chris Connelly.

Knuckleball!
Tribeca Drive-in
Saturday, April 21
Opens at 6:00 PM/Movie at 8:00 PM: The World Financial Center Plaza

In the final night of the Drive-In, New York Met R.A. Dickey and former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield will be on deck for the World Premiere of Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern's new movie. Knuckleball!  traces the history of this rare and idiosyncratic style of pitching and the survival instincts of the men who have mastered it. Come early for pitching clinics, baseball trivia, live music, and giveaways, all co-sponsored by JetBlue and Time Warner Cable.

Spend your weekend with us...