The Tribeca Film Festival officially starts today and will continue until May 2. The festival has rapidly become one of the most popular and regarded film festivals in the world with many careers and films being launched there.

Many people are familiar with the name of this festival but some may not know some interesting facts about why it was started or what goes on.  I took it upon myself to find some facts about The Tribeca film festival that you may or may not know.  Test your knowledge!

* Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.

* Since its founding, it has attracted an international audience of more than 2.3 million attendees and has generated an estimated $600 million in economic activity for New York City.

* Co-founded 1989 by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, the Tribeca Film Center was the first commercial space in Tribeca dedicated to housing film, television, and entertainment companies.

* From April 23 through April 30 the Tribeca Film Festival Virtual will allow live online screenings of 8 feature films and 18 short features, along with red-carpet events and question-and-answer sessions with film personnel; a virtual pass is $45.

* Tribeca Enterprises was established in 2003 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, the company currently operates a network of branded entertainment businesses including the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival International, and Tribeca Cinemas.

* The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival will include screenings of 85 features and 47 short films at various locations in Lower Manhattan. 

* The Tribeca Film Festival is a great place to see the hottest celebs!

* In 2005 Felicity Huffman won the award for Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film at the festival for Transamerica.

* Chiefs, directed by Daniel Junge was the first documentary to win the festivals award for Best Documentary Feature in 2002.

*In 2009, Rosenthal, Hatkoff and De Niro were named number 14 on Barron’s list of the world’s top 25 philanthropists for their role in regenerating Tribeca’s economy after September 11th.

So how much of that info did you already know? Tell us about it! 

For more information on the Tribeca Film Festival click here.