A Decade After '13th,' Ava DuVernay Returns to Close NYFF with '14th

The 64th New York Film Festival runs September 25–October 12, 2026, presented by Film at Lincoln Center, with the Main Slate committee chaired by Artistic Director Dennis Lim, including Florence Almozini, Justin Chang, and Rachel Rosen.

Opening Night
James Gray's Paper Tiger, starring Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson, opens the festival — Gray's fourth NYFF selection but the first time the New York native has opened his hometown fest. The thriller, set in 1986 Queens and Brooklyn, follows a family man drawn into a scheme with Russian criminals dumping oil near the Gowanus Canal, and had already premiered in competition at Cannes to strong reviews. Neon will release it later this year.

Centerpiece — hot off the press today
Tony Gilroy's Behemoth!, starring Pedro Pascal, was just announced as the centerpiece selection — that news broke July 28.

Closing Night
Ava DuVernay's 14th — a follow-up to her Oscar-nominated 13th, which opened NYFF a decade ago in 2016 — will close the festival as its world premiere, screening October 9 at Alice Tully Hall before a Netflix release later this year. DuVernay called it meaningful that the sequel returns to close NYFF exactly ten years after the original opened it.