NYFF 2026: Ava DuVernay, Chris Rock, and a Main Slate That Mirrors the Moment
The 64th New York Film Festival unveiled its main slate this week, and the 32-film lineup is already being talked about as one of the more urgent, globally minded programs in recent memory. Running September 25 through October 12 at Film at Lincoln Center, this year's edition pulls from 31 countries and leans hard into filmmakers using cinema to wrestle with the state of the world right now.
The Marquee Titles
James Gray opens the festival with "Paper Tiger," a Queens-set crime drama starring Adam Driver and Miles Teller — one of seven North American premieres on this year's slate.
The centerpiece slot goes to Tony Gilroy's "Behemoth!", starring Pedro Pascal as a cellist, which stands out as one of only three true world premieres in the entire program.
But the closing night selection is the one hitting hardest for culture watchers: Ava DuVernay returns to NYFF with "14th," a documentary confronting the constitutional amendment at the center of more than 150 years of American conflict. It's a full-circle moment — DuVernay's landmark "13th" opened the festival a decade ago, and now its follow-up closes it. In her statement on the selection, DuVernay called NYFF <cite index="1-1">"a place where films invite conversation rather than simply applause."</cite>
Chris Rock also makes a notable return behind the camera with "Misty Green," a Hollywood drama marking his first time back in the director's chair in years — one of the buzzier titles drawing early attention in trade coverage.
More to Watch
Rounding out the slate are Andrew Haigh's 1950s drama "A Long Winter," Mike Leigh's reportedly final film "Tender Loving Care," Pedro Almodóvar's "Bitter Christmas," Ira Sachs' "The Man I Love" (starring Rami Malek), and South Korean director Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love." Several Cannes prizewinners are landing in New York as well, including "Minotaur," "Fatherland," and "All of a Sudden."
And in a surprise programming move, NYFF also announced that "Godzilla Minus Zero" — the sequel to the Oscar-winning "Godzilla Minus One" — will hold its world premiere at the festival on September 26 as part of the Spotlight Gala, bringing a blockbuster jolt to a lineup otherwise built around art-house and awards-season heavyweights.
Why It Matters
What stands out about NYFF64 isn't just the star power — it's the throughline. Between DuVernay's decade-spanning documentary project, Rock's dramatic pivot, and a Main Slate selection committee that's explicitly framing this year's films as a reflection of "our present," this is a festival positioning itself as more than a premiere pipeline. It's a cultural check-in.
Tickets go on sale to the general public September 15 at noon ET, with early access for Film at Lincoln Center members and pass holders ahead of that date.
Cup of Soul Show will have more on NYFF64 as additional sidebar sections — Currents, Revivals, and Talks — are announced in the coming weeks.