Tribeca fest lining up ‘Spotlight’ films

Comedies starring Paul Rudd and Julianne Moore, a new drama from Neil LaBute and documentaries about Richard Pryor and Gore Vidal will be some of the films world-premiering in the Tribeca Film Festival’s “Spotlight” section.

Festival organizers announced Wednesday that among the notable scripted tales will be Craig Zisk’s “The English Teacher,” in which Moore stars as an educator whose life is shaken by a former prized pupil, and Phil Morrison’s “Almost Christmas,” an odd-couple comedy about two bumbling FrenchCanadians played by Paul Rudd and Paul Giamatti.

Also in comedies, Clark Gregg, fresh off his “Avengers” turn, directs and stars in “Trust Me,” a Hollywood sat- ire about an unlucky talent agent that stars a group of indie boldfaced names including Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman and Amanda Peet.

Meanwhile, Labute’s “Some Velvet Morning” stars Stanley Tucci and centers on relationships romantic and parental. The play wrightfilmmaker had a surprise hit with his most recent feature, “Death at a Funeral.”

Nicholas Wrathall’s “Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia” looks at the late contrarian intellectual, while in “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic,” Marina Zenovich, the notable documentary filmmaker behind “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” examines the troubled life of the innovative comedian.

The 12-day festival begins April 17 in New York.