By Sara Vilkomerson

April 24, 2008 | 12:21 p.m

Tribeca has officially begun! The festival gets going with public screenings this afternoon. Our picks:

Trucker, Village East Cinema 1, 9 p.m.:

One of the 12 films in competition (and the only American offering), this movie has a shot at being the elusive high-profile sale out of Tribeca this year. Michelle Monaghan, who has shown up as the pretty girl in movies like Mission Impossible 3 and Gone Baby Gone (and is the star of next weekend’s Made of Honor) takes on a different kind of role: badass truck driver. When her estranged son—whom she hasn’t seen since he was an infant—shows up to stay with her, things begin to change … but not, perhaps, in the predictable ways. As one acquisition executive told us, “You can already see the poster!”

The Objective, AMC 19th Street, 6 p.m.:

Hey, remember The Blair Witch Project? Co-creator Daniel Myrick is back, with another supernatural thriller … set in the Middle East? David Carr pegged a piece about Mr. Myrick to tonight's screening in today’s New York Times.

Bitter & Twisted: AMC 19th Street, 6:45 p.m.:

Industry types will be interested in checking out this industrious offering, a quirky family drama from Aussie Christopher Weekes, who wrote, directed, plays the maybe-gay lead role and financed the film himself ... at 24 years of age. Sigh. Expect lots of Nick Drake.

My Winnipeg, Village East Cinema 1, 6 p.m.:

Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin is back, with what one Tribeca worker swears is his best film—a portrait of his frigid hometown—which falls in a gray area somewhere between documentary and narrative fiction. Winnipeg, too, falls into a gray area in our geography. At this first screening Mr. Maddin will be in the theater to provide live narration for the film.

Waiting for Hockney, AMC 19th Street, 7:30 p.m.:

This documentary from Julie Checkoway follows Maryland artist Billy Pappas, and his quest both to achieve excellence in drawing (capturing the tiniest of details) and, once finished, to get an audience with artist David Hockney.

RANDOM TRIBECA EVENT: Thriller Night, The Tribeca Drive-In, 7:30 p.m.:

John Landis will host a 25th anniversary screening, and making-of feature, of Thriller. Who doesn’t love themselves some Thriller? From the festival notes: “Learn the Thriller dance and take part in the world’s largest zombie disco. Become a zombie at the Thriller face-painting station.” Also? There will be a “Solid Gold” dance party and a Michael Jackson look-alike contest.

 

For more details on screenings, parties and events visit the Tribeca Film Festival's Web site.