Tribeca Film Festival Announces Attendance Figures

The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, which closed its doors Sunday, announced yesterday a total ticketed attendance of more than 155,000 moviegoers to 700 screenings and 14 panel discussions.

"One of our key goals for this year's festival was to further enhance the audience experience," Tribeca's co-founder, Craig Hatkoff, said in a statement. "It was wonderful to see so many New Yorkers and visitors continue to embrace the festival and our mission to support lower Manhattan's economic revitalization."

Organizers also praised the participation of volunteers, as well as of the filmmakers themselves, noting that 199 directors, hailing from 23 different countries, attended the festival, and that 2,750 volunteers — 76% of whom were New York State residents — lent a hand. Palden Gyatso, the subject of the documentary "Fire Under the Snow," officially endured the longest trip to the festival. His journey began with a 13-hour bus ride from Dharamsala, India, to New Delhi, followed by a two-hour plane ride to Mumbai from New Delhi, and, finally, a 17-hour flight to New York from Mumbai.