59th New York Film Festival (NYFF) Main Slate announced

Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) has announced the 32 films that will comprise the Main Slate of the 59th New York Film Festival (NYFF), September 24 – October 10. 

“Taken together, the movies in this year’s Main Slate are a reminder of cinema’s world-making possibilities,” said Dennis Lim, NYFF Director of Programming and chair of the Main Slate selection committee. “They open up new ways of seeing and feeling and thinking, and whether or not they refer to our uncertain present, they help us make sense of our moment. I’m in awe of the sheer range of voices, styles, ideas, and images contained in this lineup, which includes many returning filmmakers but also more new names than we’ve had in some time, and I’m eager to welcome audiences back to our cinemas to experience these films as live, communal events.” 

This year’s Main Slate showcases films produced in 31 different countries, featuring new titles from renowned auteurs, exceptional work from directors making their NYFF debuts, and celebrated films from festivals worldwide, including Cannes prizewinners Julia Ducournau’s Titane, Nadav Lapid’s Ahed’s Knee, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria, and Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World. Main Slate documentary selections include Todd Haynes’s archival cinematic collage, The Velvet Underground; Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated Flee, winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary; Avi Mograbi’s examination of Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territories, The First 54 Years; and a portrait of Italian youth by a filmmaking collective consisting of Pietro Marcello (Martin Eden, NYFF57), Francesco Munzi (Black Souls), and Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro, NYFF56). 

Appearing in the Main Slate for the first time are Alexandre Koberidze, Kira Kovalenko, Rebecca Hall, Panah Panahi, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, as well as a number of alumni from other FLC festivals: Jonas Carpignano (ND/NF 2012), Ramon and Silvan Zürcher (ND/NF 2014), Radu Jude (NYJFF 2017 & 2018), Tatiana Huezo (HRWFF 2016), and Ducournau (Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2017). Ryûsuke Hamaguchi returns to NYFF with two selections, Cannes prizewinner Drive My Car and Berlinale prizewinner Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy; Hong Sangsoo makes his 16th and 17th festival appearances with In Front of Your Face and Introduction; and other returning NYFF filmmakers include Paul Verhoeven, Mia Hansen-Løve, Michelangelo Frammartino, Bruno Dumont, Radu Muntean, Céline Sciamma, Joanna Hogg, and Gaspar Noé.

As previously announced, the NYFF59 Opening Night selection is Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog is the Centerpiece, and Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers will close the festival. Currents, Revivals, Spotlight, and Talks sections will be announced in the coming weeks.

NYFF59 will feature in-person screenings, as well as select outdoor and virtual events. In response to distributor and filmmaker partners and in light of festivals returning and theaters reopening across the country, NYFF will not offer virtual screenings for this year’s edition.

Proof of vaccination will be required for all staff, audiences, and filmmakers at NYFF59 venues. Further details about this process will be announced in the coming weeks. Additionally, NYFF59 will adhere to a comprehensive series of health and safety policies in coordination with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and state and city medical experts, while adapting as necessary to the current health crisis. Visit filmlinc.org for more information. 

The NYFF Main Slate selection committee, chaired by Dennis Lim, also includes Eugene Hernandez, Florence Almozini, K. Austin Collins, and Rachel Rosen. Sofia Tate is the NYFF Programming Coordinator, and Violeta Bava, Michelle Carey, Leo Goldsmith, Rachael Rakes, and Gina Telaroli serve as festival advisors. Matt Bolish is the Producer of NYFF.

The 59th New York Film Festival Main Slate

Opening Night
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Dir. Joel Coen

Centerpiece
The Power of the Dog
Dir. Jane Campion

Closing Night
Parallel Mothers
Dir. Pedro Almodóvar

A Chiara
Dir. Jonas Carpignano

Ahed’s Knee
Dir. Nadav Lapid

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Dir. Radu Jude

Benedetta
Dir. Paul Verhoeven      

Bergman Island
Dir. Mia Hansen-Løve

Il Buco
Dir. Michelangelo Frammartino

Drive My Car
Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

The First 54 Years
Dir. Avi Mograbi

Flee
Dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen

France
Dir. Bruno Dumont

Futura
Dir. Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi, Alice Rohrwacher

The Girl and the Spider
Dir. Ramon and Silvan Zürcher

Hit the Road (Jadde Khaki)
Dir. Panah Panahi

In Front of Your Face
Dir. Hong Sangsoo

Întregalde
Dir. Radu Muntean

Introduction
Dir. Hong Sangsoo

Memoria
Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Neptune Frost
Dir. Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman

Passing
Dir. Rebecca Hall

Petite Maman
Dir. Céline Sciamma

Prayers for the Stolen
Dir. Tatiana Huezo

The Souvenir Part II
Dir. Joanna Hogg

Titane
Dir. Julia Ducournau

Unclenching the Fists
Dir. Kira Kovalenko

The Velvet Underground
Dir. Todd Haynes

Vortex
Dir. Gaspar Noé

What Do We See When We Look at the Sky
Dir. Alexandre Koberidze

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

The Worst Person in the World
Dir. Joachim Trier