Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights will be the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival’s Opening Night film. The film will have its world premiere at the United Palace theater in Washington Heights, the same neighborhood where In the Heights is set.
“It is such an honor to open the 20th anniversary Tribeca Film Festival with In the Heights. We’re so excited to welcome them uptown! This will be an unforgettable night at the United Palace. We can’t wait to share this musical love letter to our community, with our community, in our community,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and producer of the Tony Award-winning musical that inspired the film.
The world premiere screening will take place on June 9th and, according to the festival’s official Opening Night announcement, “the festival’s opening night will be screened simultaneously across all five boroughs in multiple open-air venues.” The 20th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival runs June 9th – June 20th and will be the first major in-person film festival since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The cast included Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, and Jimmy Smits. Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) directed and Quiara Alegría Hudes adapted the screenplay. Miranda, Hudes, Scott Sanders, Anthony Bregman, and Mara Jacobs served as producers.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Tribeca for a city-wide takeover of In the Heights. New York, and specifically Washington Heights, is the lead character in our film — its vibrancy and energy are unmatched. How incredible that after a year of isolation, New Yorkers from across all boroughs will have an opportunity to see it first, together, and join us in the celebration of life coming back,” stated Chu.
“In the Heights is the quintessential New York story of hard work, resilience, and triumph. We are proud to feature this film as Opening Night where it can debut in its hometown in celebration of its New York roots and the Latinx community,” said Co-Founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises and the Tribeca Festival Jane Rosenthal.
Warner Bros. Pictures will release In the Heights in theaters and on HBO Max on June 11th.
The Plot, Courtesy of Warner Bros:
“Lights up on Washington Heights…The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
In the Heights fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience.”
Atención: #InTheHeightsMovie will open the 2021 #TribecaFestival! Thrilled to bring the film to @UnitedPalaceNYC IN Washington Heights for the World Premiere, which will also screen simultaneously at multiple outdoor locations across all five boroughs! Para siempre… pic.twitter.com/EOobFCCPVc
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) April 16, 2021
