The Tribeca Film Festival will kick off with Al Gore and seven short films on climate change.

Gore will host the opening gala on April 25, which will also feature musical performances from artists participating in Live Earth, a series of concerts scheduled for July 7 to raise awareness of the climate crisis.

The seven short films are presented by the Save Our Selves (SOS) Short Films Program and are just a selection of the 60 films commissioned by the SOS. None of the films are more than 10 minutes in length and cross the genre spectrum. The seven films screened at the opening will be announced April 22.

Opening with a series of short films instead of an indie feature stocked full of celebs is unusual for a top film festival. But considering SOS commissioned prominent filmmakers to create these shorts, the big name factor will still be present and the shorts are guaranteed to be of engaging content and high production value. The decision by the Tribeca staff is also additional evidence of the trend that short films are gaining prominence and popularity - especially on the topic of climate change.

Via Washington Post; LiveEarth