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New York Film Festival announces Spotlight films led by McCarthy and Glazer

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Variety ·

The New York Film Festival has unveiled the full Spotlight lineup for its 64th edition, bringing together an array of awards-season contenders and starry ensembles ahead of its autumn run at Lincoln Center. The selection is headlined by Tom McCarthy's "A Statement," about a pivotal 1980 conference on climate change, and Jonathan Glazer's documentary "Joy of Joys," and also folds in Cannes premieres and a rare Werner Herzog appearance, underscoring the festival's continued draw for major directors and actors alike.

McCarthy's ensemble film, from Sony Pictures Classics, stars Paul Giamatti, John Turturro, Paul Rudd, Amy Ryan, Evan Peters and Tatiana Maslany, while Glazer reunites with composer Mica Levi to chronicle the making of War Child Records' charity album "HELP (2)" at Abbey Road. Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or winner "Fjord," starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, and Louis Clichy's animated "Iron Boy" both transfer from Cannes, while Herzog's "Bucking Fastard," starring Kate and Rooney Mara, marks his first NYFF appearance since "Fitzcarraldo" closed the festival in 1982, ahead of its Venice premiere. Takashi Yamazaki's "Godzilla Minus Zero" takes the Spotlight Gala slot on 26 September, and further titles include Jesse Eisenberg's "The Debut" with Julianne Moore and Giamatti, Noah Segan's "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York" with Turturro, and André Gregory's Beckett documentary "One More Time."

  • NYFF's 64th-edition Spotlight lineup includes McCarthy, Glazer and Herzog films.
  • Herzog returns for first NYFF appearance since 1982's "Fitzcarraldo."
  • "Fjord," Cannes' Palme d'Or winner, and "Godzilla Minus Zero" also feature.

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Cannes' Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize, and several notable documentaries and acting showcases. This is the New York Film Festival, one of America's most established showcases for new cinema, held each autumn in Manhattan. Its Spotlight strand sits alongside the festival's main slate and highlights a mix of starry premieres, documentaries and animation from established and first-time directors alike.

The festival draws attention partly through the reputations of its participating filmmakers. Tom McCarthy is an Oscar-winning writer-director known for character-driven dramas, while Jonathan Glazer is an acclaimed British director whose past work has earned major festival prizes. Other names in this year's lineup include actors Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti and John Turturro, directors Jesse Eisenberg and Cristian Mungiu, and veteran filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose inclusion marks his first appearance at the festival since 1982.

Film festival lineups like this matter because they shape which films gain early critical attention, awards buzz and eventual distribution deals. Being selected for a high-profile slot at an event such as NYFF can significantly raise a film's profile ahead of wider release, making these announcements closely watched by industry observers and film fans alike.

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Originally published by Variety as “New York Film Festival Unveils Spotlight Slate With Tom McCarthy’s ‘A Statement,’ Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Joy of Joys’ and More”.