NEW YORK -- The premiere of Woody Allen's new film at the Tribeca Film Festival drew more media attention than celebrities.

But the golden boy of New York cinema, true to form, chose to avoid the cameras and flashing lights as best he could.

The red carpet for the premiere took up a huge part of West 54th Street in front of the Ziegfield Theater in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday night, as Allen's lastest offering, Whatever Works, had its grand welcome home after four years of filming in Europe.

The film kicked off the festival. Scoring tickets was nearly impossible. The cool weather kept some of the stars away. Mary-Kate Olsen, as tiny as ever and wearing velvet pants and a long brown coat, arrived without even acknowledging the fans screaming her name.

Robert De Niro was only slightly more talkative. "Mr. De Niro, what's your favourite Woody Allen film?" he was asked. "Uh, Vicky Cristina Barcelona," he answered before entering the Ziegfield with his wife, Grace Hightower.

Allen, 73, and his 38-year-old wife Soon-Yi, arrived at the last minute without even a smile for the cameras. Same performance from Evan Rachel Wood, one of the stars of his film.

"Sorry, I have to go in," she said to fans yelling for her attention.

Larry David, the film's leading man, came in so quickly he almost hit the door.

But the crowd reserved a special hysteria for Henry Cavill's entrance. The 25-year-old is one of the stars of the series The Tudors, and Allen cast him as the helpful love interest. Cavill could hardly answer questions with all the screaming behind him. "Sorry, I can't even concentrate," he said.

Uma Thurman and Debra Messing, both festival judges, happily took the time to sign a few autographs.

2008's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Allen's previous film, was one of his best received movies in years. Critics had their first look at Whatever Works this week, and reactions are mixed.

"Doesn't Work," summed up the New York Post, which gave it two stars out of five because of its outdated humour.

"This is the funniest and most American movie Allen has made in a long time," said Variety, stopping short of predicting commercial success.

Whatever Works is the story of Boris (Larry David), a misogynist doctor and a hypochondriac. He quits his job after an unsuccessful suicide attempt and moves to Chinatown, where he starts teaching chess. He meets a 21-year-old former Tennessee beauty queen (Wood) and decides to take her in and marry her -- a typical Woody Allen plotline.

"It's not the feel-good movie of the year," was how Larry David put it while introducing the film.

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