James Gray’s Paper Tiger has been selected to open the 64th New York Film Festival, where it will have its North American premiere on Sept. 25. The film stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, and marks Gray’s first release since Armageddon Time in 2022.
The festival slot gives Gray another prominent turn at NYFF, where he has screened three previous films. The Immigrant and Armageddon Time were both part of the festival’s main selection, while The Lost City of Z served as the closing-night title in 2016. According to the report, Paper Tiger joins a recent run of high-profile openers that includes Nickel Boys, The Irishman and The Favourite.
Set in 1986, the story centers on two brothers, Irwin and Gary Pearl. Irwin gets pulled into trouble after chasing a fast-money plan tied to cleaning up the Gowanus Canal, and Gary, a former cop, is the one who may be able to help him. The film premiered at Cannes earlier this year, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. In a review for Variety, Owen Gleiberman described it as having the feel of a neo-New Hollywood vérité thriller.
NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim called Gray a longtime festival presence and said the filmmaker is returning with what he described as a career-best work. Gray, meanwhile, said the film is deeply personal and rooted in New York City, pointing to both his upbringing and family experiences. Gray and members of the cast and crew are expected to attend the opening-night screening. Single tickets for NYFF64 go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at noon ET, with earlier access available to FLC members and pass holders.
Source: variety.com
