New York Film Festival 2024: A return to cinematic celebration

A year of unrestricted creativity

The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is back in full swing for 2024, running from September 27 through October 14. After navigating the challenges of the previous year’s actors’ strike, which saw the absence of major stars like Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, and Andrew Scott, the festival is set to return to its traditional format. Dennis Lim, the artistic director, expressed his relief and excitement about the festival’s return to normalcy, highlighting the presence of numerous actors for some of the bigger films this year.

A star-studded lineup

This year’s festival boasts an impressive lineup of films and talent. Among the highlights are:

• Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” featuring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.
• Sean Baker’s “Anora”, a Palme d’Or winner.
• Steve McQueen’s historical drama “Blitz” starring Saoirse Ronan.
• Pablo Larraín’s biopic “Maria” with Angelina Jolie.
• Luca Guadagnino’s romance drama “Queer” starring Daniel Craig.
• David Cronenberg’s sci-fi thriller “The Shrouds”.
• Alain Guiraudie’s dark comedy “Misericordia”.
• Mike Leigh’s slice-of-life “Hard Truths”.
• Paul Schrader’s elegiac drama “Oh, Canada”.
• Brady Corbet’s historical epic “The Brutalist”.

Curating a global cinematic experience

Lim’s ambition in curating the festival lineup is to encapsulate the year in cinema. His selection committee, which includes Film at Lincoln Center’s programmer Florence Almozini, New Yorker critic Justin Chang, film critic K. Austin Collins, and film programmer Rachel Rosen, strives to represent a diverse mix of geographic backgrounds, genders, and artistic styles.

“There’s no thematic agenda,” Lim explains. “But once the lineup comes together, we realize films that are in conversation with one another. This year, it’s clear that cinema reflects the state of the world, indirectly painting a picture of our current global situation, which is not particularly cheerful given the ongoing conflicts and anxieties.”

A blend of premieres and festival favorites

Many of the films showcased at NYFF will have already premiered at other major festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Sundance. “Premieres are not the determining factor for us,” Lim notes. “We aim to reflect what’s exciting, relevant, or vital about film today by surveying the entire year.”

However, NYFF will host two world premieres this year:

• Julia Loktev’s “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow”, a non-fiction portrait of independent journalists in Russia during the lead-up to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Robinson Devor’s “Suburban Fury”, a documentary about Sara Jane Moore, who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. This film resonates with current events, given the recent assassination attempt on a former president.

Opening night: A powerful start

The festival will open with RaMell Ross’s “Nickle Boys”, a historical drama adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The film tells the story of two Black teenagers in a barbaric juvenile reformatory in Jim Crow-era Florida. This coveted slot has previously been filled by films like Todd Haynes’ “May December”, Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”.

“The opening night film sets the tone,” says Lim. “RaMell Ross’s work expands the possibilities of the visual language of cinema, and we were blown away by it.”

The communal experience of cinema

During the festival, Lim can often be found in the balcony of Alice Tully Hall, observing the audience’s reactions. This vantage point allows him to gauge how the films resonate with viewers, reminding him of the communal experience that cinema offers.

“There were moments last year, like during ‘Zone of Interest’, where I could feel the audience’s absorption in the film,” he recalls. “The programming comes alive when we’re in the room with the audience and filmmakers.”

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