The ninth outing of Tribeca, which runs from April 21 though May 2 and kicks off with the world premiere of “Shrek Forever,” is broken down into number of programs which each highlight different types of films and directors.

The “Encounters” series includes 14 films featuring “famous faces both behind and in front of the camera.” Movies in the collection include “Last Play at Shea” (a film examining the intersecting histories of the New York Mets and Billy Joel, the last performer to play Shea Stadium) and “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage” (an exploration of the career of Toronto power trio Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart).

Also making its North American debut as part of “Encounters” is “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,” a “loose biopic” about the life of volatile British musician Ian Dury and his struggles to be a husband, father and musician and his “hardheaded desire” to be independent while dealing with the after-effects of a childhood bout of polio that left him physically weak and often in need of assistance.

Filling the punk icon’s sizeable shoes in the movie is Andy Serkis, the man who brought to life one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most memorable characters, Gollum, in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

The “Discovery” series features 17 films by a diverse selection of new talent. Films in this collection include “Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy” (a look at 30 years of NYC’s downtown art scene that centers on the collaboration between cabaret and drag artist Joey Arias and master puppeteer Basil Twist and includes never-before-seen footage of Andy Warhol, Jim Henson, Keith Haring, Grace Jones, and Divine), “Beware the Gonzo” (a comic cautionary tale about the power of the press that includes performances from Jesse McCartney and Amy Sedaris) and “Just Like Us” (a documentary that follows stand-up comedians Maz Jobrani, Tom Papa, Ted Alexandro, Tommy Davidson and Omid Djalili as they tour places as diverse as Dubai, Beirut, Riyadh and New York, exploding “taboos of culture and geopolitics” along the way).

The “Spotlight” series features eight “highly anticipated” films from award-winning and acclaimed directors and actors that have captured the attention of critics and audiences. Included in the collection are “Joan Rivers – A Piece of Work” (a profile of the 76-year-old comedy legend that follows her life on and off stage over the course of a year), “Get Low” (a comedy about a backwoods recluse planning his own funeral in 1930’s Tennessee starring Bill Murray and Robert Duvall), “Ondine” (director Neil Jordan’s tale of a lonely fisherman – Colin Ferrell – who reels in a mermaid) and “The Killer Inside Me” (director Michael Winterbottom’s controversial film noir starring Casey Affleck as a sociopathic and violent deputy sheriff in Texas).

The “Cinemania” series features six films that reside on the wilder side of the silver screen. Titles in the collection include “Zonad” (an out of control comedy set in 1950s Ireland about a visitor who may or may not be an alien from the future directed by John Carney who won an academy award for his film “Once” and brought the world The Swell Season), “Dream Home” (a Guignol horror film from Hong Kong that takes the housing market crisis to extreme levels), “Spork” (an ’80s-inspired send-up of dance movies featuring the “booty-poppin’ moves” of junior high school aged hermaphrodite Spork and her trailer-park neighbor, Tootsie Roll) and “Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives” (a campy homage to violent exploitation films of the ’60s and ’70s like “The Last House on the Left” and “Deliverance”).

Other film programs at Tribeca include the “World Documentary Competition,” “Showcase” and “Special Events.”

New to the festival this year is Tribeca Film Festival Virtual, which allows cinema aficionados to enjoy selections from the schedule in the comfort of their own homes. Premium passes for TFFV include exclusive backstage footage, an enhanced high-definition video player, a curated selection of eight films, a diverse program of short films, streaming red carpet events with live chat and exclusive real-time Q&A panel sessions with filmmakers, directors and industry leaders.

Complete details on the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, including schedules and ticket packages, are available at TribecaFilm.com.