New York Film Festival
 | |
| Location | New York City, United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963 |
| Founded by | Richard Roud and Amos Vogel |
| Hosted by | Film at Lincoln Center |
| Website | filmlinc |
The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is an annual film festival held in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF is one of the longest-running and most prestigious film festivals in the United States.[1]
NYFF is usually centered on the non-competitive "Main Slate" section, which typically features 20 to 30 films, with additional sections for short films, experimental works, retrospectives and restorations. The current Artistic Director of the festival is Dennis Lim.[2]
History
[edit source]Founding the Festival
[edit source]Newly appointed Lincoln Center President William Schuman visited the British Film Institute in 1962 for advice on establishing a film festival.[3] He recruited the London Film Festival's director Richard Roud as the NYFF's first programmer, after James Quinn, the BFI director, agreed that the festivals could be run in tandem. Boston-born Roud was 33 years old at the time and based in London where he also worked as a film critic for The Guardian. Though Roud maintained his home base in London, he recruited Amos Vogel of the legendary Cinema 16 film club as his New York–based co-programmer. The first edition of the festival opened on September 10, 1963, with Luis Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel and closed on September 19.[4] It was a success and almost all screenings nearly sold out. The festival also included films screened at the Museum of Modern Art that had not been shown in the United States previously, including Akira Kurosawa's I Live in Fear and Point of Order.[5][6] In 1966, Roud and Vogel formed the festival's first selection committee, consisting of Arthur Knight and Andrew Sarris; Susan Sontag was added the next year. Richard Corliss later became part of the committee.[3] Vogel resigned from his position as Festival Director in 1968. In 1976, US Customs wouldn't allow the premiere of In the Realm of the Senses.[7] In 1985, Roman Catholics demonstrated against the showing of Jean-Luc Godard's Hail Mary.[7] Though Roud was previously designated Program Director, he presided over the festival from 1969 to 1987. Roud became seriously ill in June 1987 but directed the 1987 festival, which was a success, however, he was later ordered to resign by Lincoln Film Society president Alfred Stern and executive director Joanna Koch after reports of 'interpersonal problems' and disagreements over appointing members of the committee.[3][8] Committee member David Denby believed that Koch wanted more power after the committee turned down her push to include The Whales of August and Intervista in the festival and also to appoint Wendy Keys on the select committee.[8][7] Several of the committee resigned following Roud's departure, including Corliss.[3]
Roud's 25 years of running the festival were characterized by a focus on the European art cinema of the postwar years and the rise of auteurism.[9]
The Richard Peña era
[edit source]Richard Peña, then 34, took over as lead programmer in 1988, with Roud becoming European consultant to the festival.[10] The Queens native was already an accomplished film historian, academic, and programmer. Prior to his work with NYFF, he worked at the Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Peña came to NYFF as a seasoned festival-goer who held Roud in high esteem. During his stint as programmer (which also lasted 25 years), Peña honored the festival's traditions and unique character – retaining the selection committee process, the non-competitive format, the post-screening director Q&As, and the festival's strict selectivity – while also working to expand NYFF's somewhat Eurocentric focus. Filmmakers like Hou Hsiao-hsien, Manoel de Oliveira, Leos Carax, Raúl Ruiz, and Krzysztof Kieślowski were introduced to NYFF audiences during the Roud era, and became regulars under Peña. After 25 years as Program Director and head of the NYFF selection committee, Peña led his final year at NYFF in 2012, during the festival's 50th presentation.[9]
NYFF today
[edit source]After Richard Peña's departure, Robert Koehler briefly took over year-round programming duties, while Kent Jones, who left the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 2009 to serve as Executive Director of the World Cinema Foundation, returned to lead NYFF from 2013 to 2019.[11] Jones began his programming career at Film Forum and the Rotterdam Film Festival, before joining The Film Society of Lincoln Center in 1998 as Associate Director of Programming and a member of the NYFF programming committee. The current Artistic Director of the festival is Dennis Lim, who was appointed in 2022.[12]
Sections
[edit source]As of 2024,[update] the festival program is divided into the following sections:
Main Slate
[edit source]The Main Slate is the Festival's primary section, a program typically featuring 25–30 feature-length films, intending to reflect the current state of cinema. The program is a mix of major international art house films from the festival circuit, new discoveries, and studio releases targeting awards season. The studio films are often selected as Opening Night, Centerpiece, and Closing Night presentations.[13]
Currents
[edit source]Currents complements the Main Slate, tracing a more complete picture of contemporary cinema with an emphasis on new and innovative forms and voices. This section is the only one at the festival which presents short films.
The selection team of Currents section consists of Dennis Lim (Chair), Aily Nash (is also Head of shorts programming), Rachael Rakes, and Tyler Wilson (is also Head of shorts programming).[14]
Spotlight
[edit source]Spotlight is showcase of the season's most anticipated and significant films.
Revivals
[edit source]The Revivals section showcases important works from renowned filmmakers that have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners.
Talks
[edit source]Talks features in-depth conversations with filmmakers, critics, curators, and more.
Gala selections
[edit source]See also
[edit source]References
[edit source]- ↑ Kern, Laura; Koch, Joanne; Peña, Richard, eds. (2012). New York Film Festival Gold. United States: The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Inc. pp. 16–18. ISBN 978-0-615-66360-9.
- ↑ "Eugene Hernandez Elevated to Executive Director & Dennis Lim to Artistic Director for New York Film Festival". Film at Lincoln Center. March 4, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Houston, Penelope (Spring 1989). "Obituary: Richard Roud". Sight and Sound. p. 103.
- ↑ Landry, Robert J. (September 18, 1963). "Film Front & Lincoln Center". Variety. p. 7. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Canby, Vincent (September 18, 1963). "New York Film Trade Somewhat Miffed As Public Flocks To See One-Time Screenings at Festival". Variety. p. 7. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "New York Film Festival Reviews". Variety. September 18, 1963. pp. 6, 22. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- 1 2 3 Canby, Vincent (November 1, 1987). "Sorry Spectacle at Lincoln Center". The New York Times. p. H27.
- 1 2 Bennetts, Leslie (October 23, 1987). "New York Film Festival Head Forced Out". The New York Times. p. C3.
- 1 2 Smith, Gavin (September/October 2012). "Breaking the Waves". Film Comment.
- ↑ Gold, Richard (October 26, 1988). "N.Y. Fest Found B.O. Success With 'Noncommercial' Pic Fare". Variety. p. 7.
- ↑ Cox, Gordon (September 13, 2012). "Film Society names new heads". Variety. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Eugene Hernandez Elevated to Executive Director & Dennis Lim to Artistic Director for New York Film Festival". Film at Lincoln Center. March 4, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Main Slate | New York Film Festival". Film Society of Lincoln Center. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Meet the NYFF61 Team". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
External links
[edit source]- New York Film Festival Official website (2016)
- Film Society of Lincoln Center Presenting organization website
- New York Film Festival collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- New York Film Festival Posters List of all the official festival posters