Yahoo Finance 5 of the Buzziest Films Making Their U.S. Debuts at the New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival kicks off at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on Sept. 24 with the world premiere of “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” Here’s a look at the opening night film and four other highly anticipated movies that will be screening during the festival.
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is getting a much anticipated remake by way of director and screenwriter Joel Coen. The movie, shot in black-and-white on a soundstage, stars Denzel Washington as the titular character, and Coen’s wife Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth. The release of the film’s trailer shortly before its premiere was enough to generate awards buzz for the trio. Could McDormand win the Oscar for the second year in a row? The film will receive a Christmas Day theatrical release, followed shortly by streaming release on Apple TV+.
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“Titane”
Director Julia Ducournau’s body-horror thrilled audiences at Cannes earlier this summer, where the film won the Palme d’Or – making Ducournau the second female director to receive the festival’s highest honor. Reviewers have described the offbeat film as “shocking,” a description used also for Ducournau’s controversial debut film “Raw,” which premiered at Cannes in 2016. “Titane” stars Agathe Rousselle in her first feature role as a woman who is impregnated by a car. The film’s NYFF screening will be followed closely by a Oct. 1 theatrical release — which will be a true test of its wider crowd appeal.
“Drive My Car”
Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi turned to a short story by Haruki Murakami as inspiration for his latest film, which, despite the source material, clocks in at almost three hours. The story centers around a recently widowed stage director, who is paired with a young woman hired to be his chauffeur. Hamaguchi’s adaptation, which premiered at Cannes, won the festival’s award for best screenplay and the FIPRESCI prize.
“Memoria”
Tilda Swinton stars in Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s reflective film as a Scottish woman visiting her sister, who is ill with a mysterious sickness, in a hospital in Bogotá. Swinton’s character is haunted by a loud sonic boom, as she begins looking to her surroundings for answers.
“Benedetta”
Director Paul Verhoeven’s followup to “Elle” (for which Isabelle Huppert received an Oscar nomination) is a biopic loosely inspired by the nonfiction book “Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy” by Judith C. Brown. Actress Virginie Efira stars in Verhoeven’s film as Benedetta Carlini, an Italian nun from the 17h century who develops a love affair with one of her fellow nuns. After playing during NYFF, “Benedetta” is slated for a December theatrical release.
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