Film at Lincoln Center unveiled the 32-film main slate for the 64th New York Film Festival on August 6, 2026, confirming four world premieres and new features from James Gray, Chris Rock, Andrew Haigh and Ava DuVernay. The festival runs September 25 through October 12 at Lincoln Center and four other venues around the city.
Key Takeaways
- Film at Lincoln Center announced a 32-film main slate for the 64th New York Film Festival on August 6, 2026, running September 25 through October 12.
- James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, opens the festival September 25 as a North American premiere.
- Ava DuVernay’s documentary “14th,” a follow-up to her “13th,” closes the festival October 12 as a world premiere.
- Five Cannes prizewinners made the slate, including Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Grand Prix-winning “Minotaur” and Sandra Wollner’s Un Certain Regard winner “Everytime.”
- Debuting at the festival are seventeen directors in the main slate, while Hong Sangsoo stands as the sole filmmaker represented twice in the selection.
The lineup shows how far the festival has widened its reach beyond a single Manhattan campus, pulling in Cannes prizewinners, a kaiju sequel and a documentary sequel to a landmark civil rights film, all while keeping its opening and closing slots reserved for filmmakers with deep New York ties. That mix of arthouse pedigree and studio-scale spectacle signals where the 64-year-old festival is positioning itself against rivals like Cannes and Toronto.
What Films and Dates Anchor the 2026 Lineup
James Gray’s crime drama “Paper Tiger” opens the festival on September 25 with a North American premiere, starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller. Ava DuVernay’s documentary “14th,” a follow-up to her Academy Award-nominated “13th,” closes the festival on October 12 as a world premiere examining the constitutional amendment at the center of ongoing citizenship debates.
Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!,” starring Pedro Pascal as a cellist, holds the centerpiece slot as a world premiere. Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero,” the follow-up to his 2023 “Godzilla Minus One,” gets its own world premiere on September 26, alongside a fourth world premiere from Iranian director Mani Haghighi, “I Deserve a Lover Whose Every Rise Sets Fiery Dooms Raging Across the Skies.” The festival’s 32-film main slate also includes Chris Rock’s “Misty Green,” which marks his return to directing, and Andrew Haigh’s 1950s-set drama “A Long Winter.”
Who Gets a Platform and Who Gets Squeezed Out
The 32-film main slate welcomes debuts from seventeen directors while also featuring established names: Pedro Almodóvar (“Bitter Christmas”), Mike Leigh (“Tender Loving Care,” likely his final film), and Ira Sachs (“The Man I Love,” with Rami Malek). This mix shapes how festival-goers allocate their viewing time, half the program introduces fresh voices to New York cinephiles, while the other half bets on international auteurs still building stateside recognition.
Hong Sangsoo stands alone in the selection with dual entries this year: his 34th feature, “The Day She Returns,” and his 35th, “Nowhere To Lay My Eyes,” starring Kim Min-hee. For distributors and art-house programmers evaluating post-festival releases, such back-to-back selections from a single filmmaker can determine which titles receive expanded theatrical distribution.
How Heavily Does This Year’s Slate Lean on Cannes
The New York Film Festival has long positioned itself as a fall showcase for films that premiered earlier at Cannes, and 2026 leans on that pattern more than most years. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” Paweł Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland” and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” winner of the Grand Prix, all arrive from the Croisette, alongside Sandra Wollner’s “Everytime,” winner of the Un Certain Regard prize.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix | Minotaur | Andrey Zvyagintsev |
| Best Director | Fatherland | Paweł Pawlikowski |
| Best Screenplay | A Man of His Time | Emmanuel Marre |
| Jury Prize | The Dreamed Adventure | Valeska Grisebach |
| Un Certain Regard Prize | Everytime | Sandra Wollner |
That heavy borrowing from Cannes is not new for the festival, but the volume this year, five prizewinning titles in a 32-film slate, underscores how much the festival’s identity now depends on serving as an American waypoint for films that premiered in France months earlier rather than a discovery ground of its own.
Why the Festival Still Anchors Itself to Lincoln Center and Founding History
The New York Film Festival, founded in 1963, continues to use Lincoln Center as its home base while spreading screenings to BAM in Brooklyn, the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Staten Island, and AMC Bay Plaza Cinema in the Bronx. That five-borough footprint reflects a shift from the festival’s earlier decades, when Lincoln Center screenings were effectively the only way to see the lineup.
Dennis Lim, the festival’s artistic director, framed this year’s selections as a reflection of global events. “It’s hard to recall a prior Main Slate program in which the state of the world has been as urgently reflected in so many creative ways,” Lim said in a statement. “You could take any cross section of this lineup and come away with a vivid picture of what our present looks, sounds, and feels like. I’m deeply encouraged to be able to introduce New York audiences to works by so many fearless, imaginative directors whose artistry has been inspired by the shared realities of our world.” That statement, coming from the festival’s own leadership, doubles as a defense of a lineup heavy with foreign-language and documentary work at a time when major festivals compete hard for star-driven premieres.
What Happens Between Now and Opening Night
Some titles carry premiere complications worth watching. Chris Rock’s “Misty Green” will actually premiere first at the Toronto International Film Festival before its U.S. premiere in New York, meaning the New York Film Festival is not securing exclusivity on every high-profile title, a departure from how centerpiece and opening slots are traditionally marketed.
Ticketing details and individual screening schedules had not been detailed in the August 6 announcement, and the festival’s main selection committee, chaired by Lim along with Florence Almozini, Justin Chang and Rachel Rosen, will presumably fill in program notes and panel details closer to the September 25 start date.
That combination of borrowed prestige and hometown ceremony is what will actually get tested once the lights go down at Lincoln Center in September.
FAQs
When and Where Does the New York Film Festival Take Place in 2026?
The 64th New York Film Festival runs September 25 through October 12, 2026. Screenings take place at Lincoln Center along with BAM in Brooklyn, the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Staten Island and AMC Bay Plaza Cinema in the Bronx.
What Film Opens the 2026 Festival?
James Gray’s crime drama “Paper Tiger” opens the festival on September 25 as a North American premiere. It stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller.
What Film Closes the Festival?
Ava DuVernay’s documentary “14th” closes the festival on October 12 as a world premiere. It serves as a follow-up to her Academy Award-nominated documentary “13th.”
Will Chris Rock’s “Misty Green” Premiere in New York First?
No. “Misty Green” will premiere first at the Toronto International Film Festival before its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival.
How Many Films Premiered at Cannes Before Joining the New York Lineup?
Several titles arrive from Cannes, including Grand Prix winner “Minotaur,” best director winner “Fatherland,” best screenplay winner “A Man of His Time,” Jury Prize winner “The Dreamed Adventure” and Un Certain Regard winner “Everytime.”
Who Leads the Festival’s Selection Committee?
Artistic director Dennis Lim chairs the main slate selection committee, which also includes Florence Almozini, Justin Chang and Rachel Rosen.
Is This Mike Leigh’s Last Film?
“Tender Loving Care” is described as likely Mike Leigh’s final film, though the festival’s announcement did not provide further detail on that characterization.
What Character Does Pedro Pascal Play in Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!”?
Pedro Pascal plays a cellist in “Behemoth!,” which serves as the festival’s centerpiece world premiere.
