Gilda Radner documentary to open 2018 Tribeca Film Festival

The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival will launch with a monumental tribute to a late comedy legend.

Gilda Radner’s life and legacy is set to take center stage on the annual event’s opening night, as the festival announced Tuesday a documentary about her life, titled Love, Gilda, will be the first of many films to screen at the 2018 edition.

Directed by freshman filmmaker Lisa D’Apolito, Love, Gilda traces the former Saturday Night Live cast member’s entertainment industry journey through her own words, featuring readings from her diaries as well as interviews with Chevy Chase, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Cecily Strong, and more.

Each inspired by Radner’s work, the contemporary faces appearing in the film will read aloud from the late comedienne’s personal writings, telling her story in addition to the project’s inclusion of rediscovered audiotapes and footage from rare home movies.

The placement of Love, Gilda at the top of the festival continues Tribeca’s “tradition of championing women filmmakers with this Opening Night selection from a first time female director celebrating a woman whose cultural impact is still felt almost four decades later,” according to a press release.

The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival runs April 18-29 in New York City. For more information on scheduling and how to buy tickets, head to the festival’s website.