The 64th New York Film Festival closes Monday, October 12, at Lincoln Center, ending an 18-day run that began September 25. Film at Lincoln Center presented 32 main-slate films from 31 countries. Two of the most New York-rooted titles were a Queens crime drama on opening night and a long-awaited documentary on the Harlem Renaissance.
Key Takeaways
- The 64th New York Film Festival ran from September 25 to October 12, 2026, presented by Film at Lincoln Center.
- The main slate featured 32 films from 31 countries, including four world premieres and nine North American premieres.
- Queens-born director James Gray opened the festival with “Paper Tiger,” a New York crime drama starring Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson.
- Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” had its world premiere as the Centerpiece at Alice Tully Hall on October 2, with Pedro Pascal starring as a cellist.
- “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” shot in 1972 by William Greaves and completed by his son David Greaves, had its New York premiere on the main slate.
- Seventeen directors showed features in the main slate for the first time, including Chris Rock with “Misty Green.”
A Festival Bookended by New York Stories
The 64th New York Film Festival built its 2026 edition around an international lineup, but its most local thread ran through the boroughs. The festival opened September 25 with “Paper Tiger,” the latest from Queens-born director James Gray. The film follows two brothers chasing the American Dream who get pulled into a dangerous Russian mafia scheme.
Choosing a homegrown filmmaker for opening night gave the festival a clear civic signature. Gray has spent much of his career filming the outer boroughs, and premiering a Queens story in the city’s main film showcase linked the event to the neighborhoods its audience comes from. Coverage at the time of the festival’s opening night with James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” highlighted that hometown angle as the starting point for the 18-day program.
Harlem’s Cultural History Gets Its New York Premiere
For many New Yorkers, the more meaningful title on this year’s slate was “Once Upon a Time in Harlem.” In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves brought together artists, writers, and thinkers connected to the Harlem Renaissance and filmed their conversations. The project went unfinished for decades. His son, David Greaves, has now completed it.
Film at Lincoln Center described the 100-minute documentary in two ways. It is a portrait of a 1920s community, and it is a record of the changing social and political climate of the 1970s, framed as a centenary celebration. The result is a film that holds two eras of Harlem at once: the Renaissance itself and the generation that looked back on it fifty years later.
The documentary was a fitting choice for a festival that has run in Manhattan since 1963. Few films on the 2026 lineup were as tied to the city’s own cultural history. David Greaves was also among the 17 directors making a first appearance on the main slate.
World Premieres Put Lincoln Center at the Center of the Fall Film Calendar
The 64th New York Film Festival carried four world premieres. The largest was the Centerpiece selection, Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” The film premiered at Alice Tully Hall on October 2, with Gilroy and star Pedro Pascal in attendance. Pascal plays Alex, a cellist rebuilding a fractured life, in a 127-minute drama from the Academy Award-nominated writer-director of “Michael Clayton.”
The other world premieres were Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial,” Mani Haghighi’s “I Deserve a Lover Whose Every Rise Sets Fiery Dooms Raging Across the Skies,” and the closing night film, Ava DuVernay’s documentary “14th,” which examines the Fourteenth Amendment.
The festival also programmed nine North American premieres. New York hosting that many first screenings matters for the city’s position in the fall awards season. Premieres draw filmmakers, distributors, and press to the Upper West Side for nearly three weeks, supporting Lincoln Center’s venues and the restaurants and businesses around them.
First-Time Voices Reshape the Main Slate
The 2026 lineup leaned heavily on new names. Seventeen directors brought a feature to the main slate for the first time. Chris Rock was among them with “Misty Green,” alongside Marine Atlan with “La Gradiva” and Emmanuel Marre with “A Man of His Time.”
That mix of established auteurs and newcomers is how the festival keeps its identity. Returning names such as Ira Sachs, Pedro Almodóvar, and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi gave the program weight. The first-timers made the 2026 slate feel less like a victory lap for familiar directors.
What the Close of the Festival Means for New York’s Fall Season
The 64th New York Film Festival’s close on October 12 hands the Lincoln Center campus to the rest of the fall arts calendar. Broadway is entering its busiest stretch of openings, and the city’s theater, opera, and concert seasons are fully underway. For filmgoers, the titles that premiered at Alice Tully Hall and the Walter Reade Theater will now move into commercial release over the coming months.
The 2026 edition’s legacy may rest on its New York titles: a Queens crime story to open and a Harlem documentary fifty years in the making. Those two films showed the festival at its strongest, presenting world cinema while keeping its own city on screen.
FAQs
When did the 2026 New York Film Festival take place?
The 64th New York Film Festival ran from September 25 to October 12, 2026, at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. It was presented by Film at Lincoln Center.
What was the opening film of the 2026 New York Film Festival?
The opening film was “Paper Tiger” from Queens-born director James Gray. The New York crime drama stars Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson.
What was the Centerpiece film at NYFF 2026?
Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” was the Centerpiece selection. It had its world premiere at Alice Tully Hall on October 2, 2026, with Pedro Pascal in the lead role.
What is “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” about?
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” is a documentary shot in 1972 by William Greaves, featuring figures connected to the Harlem Renaissance. His son, David Greaves, completed the film, which had its New York premiere at NYFF 2026.
How many films were in the 2026 New York Film Festival main slate?
The main slate included 32 films from 31 countries. It featured four world premieres, nine North American premieres, and 17 directors appearing on the main slate for the first time.
