Tribeca Film Festival goes local: What was filmed in NYC

Tuesday, April 28th 2009, 12:21 PM

"City Island" stars Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies as the parents of a dysfunctional Bronx family.

The Tribeca Film Festival is nothing if not a local event, so if you're having a tough time deciding what to see, you might want to narrow the field down by focusing on city-set movies.

Even then you'll have plenty to choose from, with nearly half a dozen options today alone. Begin this afternoon with "Con Artist," the chronicle of controversial Eighties scenester Mark Kostabi, who often felt it sufficient to sign, rather than actually make, his works of art.

Another documentary to consider is "Cropsey," which explores the mysterious disappearance of several Staten Island children many years ago. As for the dramas, one of our favorites of the fest so far is "The Exploding Girl," in which Zoe Kazan's college student finds her life unraveling when she comes home to Brooklyn for summer break.

And Andrew McCarthy steals all his scenes in "The Good Guy," as a hotshot Wall Street boss whose star employee (Scott Porter) loses his girlfriend (Gilmore girl Alexis Bledel) to an unexpected rival (Bryan Greenberg).

But today's most talked-about title is likely to be Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience," in which porn star Sasha Grey plays a high-priced Manhattan call girl who offers her clients more than just the basics.

Looking ahead, tomorrow brings "P-Star Rising," which follows Harlem musician Jesse Diaz as he guides his nine-year-old daughter towards a career as a rapper.

In the biographical "An Englishman in New York," John Hurt plays writer and bon vivant Quentin Crisp.

And the waterside setting is the real star of "City Island," in which prison guard Andy Garcia tries to keep his acting aspirationsand budding friendship with fellow thespian Emily Mortimer--from wife Julianna Margulies.

The Tribeca Film Festival runs through May 3. Schedules, tickets, and venue directions are available at www.tribecafilm.com. Keep in mind that every sold-out event will have a wait line, to be granted admittancebased on availabilityprior to showtime.