New York Film Festival Director on Hollywood Strikes and the One Movie He Needed on This Year’s Lineup

Well there’s a first time for everything; and in the case of “The Curse,” it’s surprising that it’s the first TV series to be part of the premiere lineup for the New York Film Festival. But Variety reports that Nathan Fielder & Benny Safdie‘s show is the first to do so, and NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim couldn’t be happier about it.

Anna Tingley Up until Thursday night, New York Film Festival had never once featured a TV show on its annual premiere lineup, so when Benny Safdie approached NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim with a new series he created alongside Nathan Fielder, the likelihood that it would get a big-screen premiere was low. But Lim gave it a chance, and after he finished the fifth episode he knew he had to figure out how to make something work.

UPDATED, Oct. 12: We’re getting an extended look at Showtime‘s genre-bending series The Curse, starring Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. The trailer release comes as the series world premieres today at the New York Film Festival. You can watch the official trailer above.

Fresh from a victory tour of the fall festivals, four of the key creatives behind Netflix awards favorite Maestro stopped by Contenders London to reveal some of the secrets behind the scenes. Speaking to Baz Bamigboye, producer Kristie Macosko Krieger, makeup designer Kazu Hiro, costume designer Mark Bridges and production designer Kevin Thompson shared their thoughts and experiences on Bradley Cooper’s poignant biographical portrait of world-famous New York conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, who died in 1990 aged 72.

Michaela Zee Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi attended the North American premiere of Sofia Coppola‘s “Priscilla” at the New York Film Festival on Friday night, where they sat down for a post-screening Q&A to discuss the biographical drama. “I got really lucky to actually sit down with Priscilla herself and ask her all the questions I wanted to,” Spaeny explained to the audience, adding that their conversation helped her “know where I was trying to go and what I wanted to say throughout those years playing her.” The production was completed on a tight deadline of 30 days, with producer Youree Henley emphasizing the team’s doubts that they could “make this in less than 35 days.” Spaeny said the hair, makeup and costumes acted like her “anchor of where I was in the storylines.” “We shot it in 30 days and also out of order, so I’d be pregnant in the morning, and then after lunch I’d be 14 years old,” she said with a laugh.

Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley biopic Priscilla is the centerpiece premiere at the New York Film Festival this evening, but the filmmaker had to miss the movie’s presser today at short notice, sending a note that she is “with her mother.” 

Caroline Brew editor The Savannah College of Art and Design’s 26th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, which will run from Oct. 21-28, has announced its film lineup. “Nyad,” a film based on the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad, will open the festival on Oct.

The Match Factory has announced a raft of world sales for Sofia Coppola’s biopic Priscilla ahead of its North American premiere as the Centrepiece selection of the New York Film Festival on Friday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Emma Stone stopped by New York Film Festival to make a surprise appearance at the premiere of “Bleat,” an unconventional short film by Yorgos Lanthimos. Stone and Lanthimos just reunited on “Poor Things,” a Frankenstein-esque black comedy that’s received some of the best reviews of the year. But the ongoing SAG strike has prevented Stone from talking about the movie, which is backed by Searchlight, during stops at Venice or New York film festivals.

Michaela Zee Leonard Bernstein‘s children Jamie, Alexander and Nina were in complete awe the first time they saw Bradley Cooper as the renowned conductor and composer. “It took our breath away, it made us gasp,” Jamie Bernstein told Variety at the New York Film Festival premiere of “Maestro.” “In some pictures, we could tell a little bit that it was Bradley, but there were certain photographs where we would go, ‘Oh my God!’ It was so amazingly perfect.” “I had a FaceTime call come in, and I didn’t recognize the number. But I chanced it, and it was my father as an old man!” added Nina Maria Felicia Bernstein.

Foe, a complicated love story set in the near future amid burned out farmland, intertwines AI and climate catastrophe with the challenges of keeping a marriage together — all elements director Garth Davis (Lion) said pulled him to the story.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter The show must go on! New York Film Festival opened its 61st edition with “May December” as planned, despite a massive rainstorm that’s left streets and subways flooded across the five boroughs. “Thank you all for braving the weather and making it here tonight,” director Todd Haynes told the mostly full theater. “We didn’t know what to expect.” On one of the wettest N.Y.

Angelique Jackson Despite heavy rains which have closed some New York City subway lines, schools and movie theaters — including Alamo Drafthouse locations — the New York Film Festival plans to move forward with its opening night screening of Netflix’s “May December” on Friday. The soapy drama is scheduled for a 6 p.m. showing at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall to kick off the 61st annual festival, followed by a second showing at 9 p.m.

Todd Haynes, who has appeared on behalf of his latest directing outing, May December, since its splashy debut in Cannes, turned to a new collaborator when promoting it at the New York Film Festival.

The 61stNew York Film Festival opens Friday on a high note, with advance sales of passes and tickets at kickoff up 50% from last year, which was a record-breaking fest. It’s also a day of heavy rains and flooding in New York City.

Benny Safdie‘s turn to acting in recent years has been a pleasant surprise. But now he’s branching out into TV, too.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Netflix’s awards season pony “Maestro,” the Leonard Bernstein biopic from sophomore director Bradley Cooper, in which he also stars, is gearing up for its next major stop at the New York Film Festival on Monday. Ahead of its New York bow, the streamer invited a small group of journalists and friends of the Bernstein family to the Academy Museum on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The famed composer’s daughters, Jamie Bernstein and Nina Maria Felicia Bernstein, introduced the screening, followed by an intimate discussion with some of the filmmaking team, including Oscar-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger (“The Fabelmans”) and three-time nominated sound mixer Steven Morrow (“La La Land,” “A Star is Born” and “Ford v.

Showtime is providing a first look at its upcoming series, The Curse, starring Emma Stone!

Jaden Thompson Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder have their sledgehammers ready, but they might not only be breaking down walls in their new show Showtime and A24 comedy “The Curse.” The studios have released the first trailer for their genre-defying new series, set to premiere on Nov. 10 on Paramount+ and air Nov. 12 on Showtime.

There’s nothing like New York in the Fall— crisper air, pumpkin spice lattes, Cityside Pumpkin patch, the leaves changing in Central Park, and the New York Film Festival. What could be better? The 61st annual New York Film Festival kicks off in a few days, and there is a lot to look forward to.