The fall film festival arms race is heating up and the biggest coup of the season has just been unveiled. Film at Lincoln Center has announced that they have the scored the world premiere of Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” as the opening night of the 57th New York Film Festival. NYFF runs September 27 through October 13 and “The Irishman” will make its world premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Friday, September 27, 2019. “The Irishman,” which stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, will be released in select theaters and on Netflix later this year.
READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2019… So Far
The move isn’t entirely unexpected and was actually rumored on Twitter a few months back, by a seemingly credible source that noted the obvious: Scorsese and Film at Lincoln Center have a strong working relationship. Scorsese’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” documentary of Bob Dylan just premiered there a few weeks back, “Hugo” made a sneak peek premiere back in 2011, and Kent and Scorsese have made a few films together, co-directing the Elia Kazan doc “A Letter To Elia,” and making other films together like “Diane” and “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (Kent directed, Scorsese, produced). That bond is strong.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019
“The Irishman” debuting so late at NYFF and not at say Venice, Telluride or Toronto isn’t a total surprise either. The film depends on complicated (and expensive) de-aging VFX that have taken forever to get right and Scorsese and company will take every extra second they can to work and complete them.
READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 35 Films You Shouldn’t Miss
NYFF and Film At Lincoln Center’s press release is below as well as the first two official photos from the film.
The Irishman is a richly textured epic of American crime, a dense, complex story told with astonishing fluidity. Based on Charles Brandt’s nonfiction book I Heard You Paint Houses, it is a film about friendship and loyalty between men who commit unspeakable acts and turn on a dime against each other, and the possibility of redemption in a world where it seems as distant as the moon. The roster of talent behind and in front of the camera is astonishing, and at the core of The Irishman are four great artists collectively hitting a new peak: Joe Pesci as Pennsylvania mob boss Russell Bufalino, Al Pacino as Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa, and Robert De Niro as their right-hand man, Frank Sheeran, each working in the closest harmony imaginable with the film’s incomparable creator, Martin Scorsese.
“The Irishman is so many things: rich, funny, troubling, entertaining and, like all great movies, absolutely singular,” said New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones. “It’s the work of masters, made with a command of the art of cinema that I’ve seen very rarely in my lifetime, and it plays out at a level of subtlety and human intimacy that truly stunned me. All I can say is that the minute it was over my immediate reaction was that I wanted to watch it all over again.”
“It’s an incredible honor that The Irishman has been selected as the Opening Night of the New York Film Festival. I greatly admire the bold and visionary selections that the festival presents to audiences year after year,” said Martin Scorsese. “The festival is critical to bringing awareness to cinema from around the world. I am grateful to have the opportunity to premiere my new picture in New York alongside my wonderful cast and crew.”
Campari is the exclusive spirits partner for the 57th New York Film Festival and the presenting partner of Opening Night, extending its long-standing commitment to the world of film and art.
Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the 17-day New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The selection committee, chaired by Jones, also includes Dennis Lim, FLC Director of Programming, and Florence Almozini, FLC Associate Director of Programming.
Tickets for the 57th New York Film Festival will go on sale to the general public on September 8. Festival and VIP passes are on sale now and offer one of the earliest opportunities to purchase tickets and secure seats at some of the festival’s biggest events, including Opening Night. Support for Opening Night of the New York Film Festival benefits Film at Lincoln Center in its non-profit mission to support the art and craft of cinema.
