Curtain rises on the Tribeca Festival, and on New York, too

But the festival is bookended by two marquee events. “In the Heights,” one of the summer’s most anticipated movies, premiered Wednesday at the United Palace in Washington Heights, as well as in the other boroughs. Though the film has already bowed in Los Angeles and opens imminently in theaters Friday, its arrival in its namesake neighborhood was a special occasion.

“It’s going to be quite another thing to see it on 175th St.,” Miranda said ahead of the premiere. “There are community screenings the next day. I plan to be at those, too, because I want to soak up every bit of it. The whole show is a love letter to this neighborhood and all I want is for them to feel proud.”

Running through June 20, Tribeca will conclude with an untitled Dave Chappelle documentary by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, makers of the Oscar-winning “American Factory.” It will be the first time Radio City Music Hall opens its doors since the pandemic began. The historic Art Deco hall in midtown will be filled to capacity with vaccinated attendees, and without masks required.

It’s possible that in the 12 days of the festival, New York will grow a little more comfortable gathering again — that just between opening night and closing night, the city will be a bit brighter and little livelier.

“There’s a little bit of a come-on-this-adventure with us,” says Cusumano. “We can’t control the weather. We hope that everyone has that spirit of excitement that we went into it with: This is just exciting that this is happening and that there are movies again.”