The high-profile US festival, which kicks off on Wednesday with a Cameron Crowe documentary about the making of the Elton John album, “The Union,” and a performance by the British singer, has gained a reputation for critically acclaimed documentaries and global indie cinema. Ten years on, although some detractors feel it lacks identity and have criticized it for a weak narrative film selection, Tribeca is making a strong bid to be at the forefront of new methods of distribution and deals in the online and video-on-demand markets. “At ten we are very, very young,” said executive director Nancy Shafer, saying the festival had both “come into its own” but was still evolving after its launch in 2002. The festival was conceived as a bid to revive the neighborhood of Tribeca after the devastating Sept. 11 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
