Founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal announced the jurors for this years festival that includes Meg Ryan, Parker Posey,Adrien Brody and Uma Thurma. Spike Lee joins the festival for the first time premiere two films Kobe Doin’ Work and the New York premiere of Passing Strange. Below is the films in competition. The Tribeca Film Festival is April22-May 3rd.

World Competition Categories:

•    The jurors for the 2009 World Narrative Competition are Bradley Cooper, Richard Fischoff, Todd Haynes, Meg Ryan and Uma Thurman.
•    The jurors for the 2009 World Documentary Competition are Liz Garbus, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. , Whoopi Goldberg, Morgan Spurlock and Brian Williams.

New York Competition Categories:

•    The 2009 Best New York Narrative jurors are Adrien Brody, Karen Durbin, Richard Ledes, Melissa Leo, Parker Posey, Andre Leon Talley and Beau Willimon.
•    The 2009 Best New York Documentary jurors are Jon Robin Baitz, Mary Boone, Marc Ecko, Douglas Keeve and Rachael Ray.

Short Film Competition Categories:

•    The 2009 Narrative Short jurors are Thomas Haden Church, James Franco, Mary Harron, Debra Messing and Mary-Kate Olsen.
•    The 2009 Documentary and Student Short jurors are Bobby Cannavale, Gael Greene, AJ Jacobs, Rachel Maddow and Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

•    TiMER. Directed and written by Jac Schaeffer. (USA) – World Premiere. Finding true love is easier than ever thanks to a bio-technological implant called the TiMER, which counts down to the exact time people meet their soul mates. Love-starved Oona (Emma Caulfield, TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is pushing 30, but her TiMER hasn’t even started counting down yet. What’s worse, she’s falling for a guy (John Patrick Amedori, Gossip Girl) who is set to meet his true love in four months. Newcomer Jac Schaeffer crafts a smart romantic comedy that leaves behind the burning question… would you want to know?

•    Burning Season. Directed by Cathy Henkel. (Australia) – International Premiere. TFF award winner Henkel returns with this powerful portrait of three lives affected by deliberately lit fires raging across Indonesia. Destroying pristine rainforest, endangering wildlife, and contributing to climate change, these fires only benefit the lucrative palm oil industry. Following a carbon-trading entrepreneur, an orangutan rescuer, and a palm oil farmer, this doc inspirationally shows those caught at the intersection of big business and conservation. Hugh Jackman narrates.

•    Vegas: Based on a True Story.  Directed by Amir Naderi, written by Susan Brennan, Bliss Esposito, Charlie Lake Keaton and Naderi. (USA) – North American Premiere. Returning to the Festival, acclaimed director Amir Naderi applies his inimitable cinematic style to Vegas. The film takes place away from the glittering strip of luxury mega casinos, but the judgment-clouding greed of Sin City is just as pervasive on the desert outskirts of town, where an otherwise happy family is thrown into turmoil after learning of a forgotten fortune that may be buried beneath their scrubby little home.

•    Racing Dreams. Directed by Marshall Curry. (USA) – World Premiere. What Little League is to baseball, go-karting is to auto racing. Oscar®-nominated director Marshall Curry (Street Fight) follows the exhilarating and emotional journeys of three top racers competing for the national championship. Three adolescents and their families must discover if they have the talent and dedication—and sponsorship dollars—to one day become NASCAR superstars. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

Tribeca Film Festival