icecube3The Tribeca Film Festival has set Ice Cube’s Straight Outta L.A. as the gala premiere of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. The documentary, which looks at how the Oakland Raiders changed the culture of Los Angeles, will premiere April 23 before it is shown on TV as part of ESPN’s “30 for 30″ sports documentary program. While the film seems to have absolutely nothing to do with New York, perhaps it will appeal to Hollywood dealmakers who fly in for the festival. I wonder why Tribeca didn’t choose as their opener Last Play at Shea, a docu that covers Long Islander Billy Joel’s final concert at Sea Stadium, and encompasses the highs and lows of the New York Mets.

tribeca-o8That picture makes its world premiere in a sports slate that also features: The Birth of Big Air, a docu about extreme sports star Mat Hoffman; Freetime Machos, a docu about Finland’s worst amateur rugby team; Into the Cold, Sebastian Copeland’s docu on his dangerous trek to the North Pole; Keep Surfing, a German film that lays claim to inventing a sport mostly identified with warmer climates; and The Two Escobars, a docu about two unrelated kids named Escobar who shared a fanatical love of soccer. Andres became a revered player for Colombia, Pablo grew up to be the notorious drug baron.

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