Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’ with Adam Driver to Close 61st New York Film Festival

Michael Mann’s Ferrari, starring Academy Award nominee Adam Driver as the legendary race car manufacturer and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari, will be the Closing Night selection at the 61st New York Festival, making its North American premiere on October 13 at Alice Tully Hall, it was announced today.

It’s 1957, and the marriage of Enzo (Driver) and Laura (Academy Award winner Penélope Cruz) has begun to irrevocably fracture as a result of his philandering and the tragic recent death of their young son. Their unsettled domestic world is on a collision course with his work life as Enzo faces a pair of major turning points: financial pressure to increase productivity, which means going against his long-standing desire to only produce race cars, and preparations for the treacherous cross-country open-road Mille Miglia race. The film also stars Shailene Woodley, Gabriel Leone, Patrick Dempsey, and Jack O’Connell, with on-location shooting in Ferrari’s hometown of Modena.

“It’s a great honor to close the esteemed New York Film Festival with Ferrari,” said director Michael Mann.

“Michael Mann has made many remarkable movies but perhaps never one as simultaneously thrilling and moving as Ferrari,” said Dennis Lim, Artistic Director of the New York Film Festival. “Not just a feat of virtuosity, this is a grand and striking evolution of his career themes and his most deeply personal work. We are honored to welcome him to the festival for what I’m sure will be a Closing Night for the ages.”

The film was originally produced under STX Entertainment until the surprise buy from Oscar-winning indie studio NEON (Parasite) for a whopping $90M, by far the largest purchase for the six-year-old studio. Ferrari, which will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, joins the previously May December from Todd Hayes as the NYFF Opening Night film and Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla as the Centerpiece. The festival main slate and Spotlight titles will be announced in August.

Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival takes place September 29–October 15, 2023. The NYFF Main Slate selection committee, chaired by Dennis Lim, also includes Florence Almozini, Justin Chang, K. Austin Collins, and Rachel Rosen.