TheWrap brings word that the 58th New York Film Festival is moving forward later this year, running from September 25 through October 11, while considering both in-person and virtual screening options for the events.
The festival will reportedly feature an overhauled programming structure shaped by Eugene Hernandez, the festival’s new director for 2020, alongside the newly appointed director of programming Dennis Lim. Long-time director Kent Jones stepped down after the 2019 festival in order to become a full-time filmmaker.
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The upcoming festival’s main slate will remain the core of the event and will feature movies that “promise to define the year in cinema.” The 58th New York Film Festival will be led by a selection committee including Lim (Chair), Florence Almozini, K. Austin Collins, Hernandez, and Rachel Rosen.
The Currents section is new to the festival this year, complimenting the main slate and said to encompass most of the short films and other features that have an emphasis on new and innovative forms and voices. Another new addition is the Spotlight section, which will include the festival’s galas, sneak previews, and screenings with live performances. The Revivals sections will feature restored classic films, and a Talks section will take place for ticketed panel discussions.
“Our goal in revising the festival’s structure was to clarify and strengthen the identity of this venerable event while also making room for discovery and surprise. We began the work of rethinking the festival before this public health crisis, and we believe that our new template is one we can adapt for this uncertain year,” Lim said in a statement. “Our programming exists to champion the films we believe in and to bring those films to discerning audiences in New York City and beyond. The current situation compels us to think more deeply and imaginatively about what that can mean. I’m excited and grateful to be working with this exceptional team of programmers and advisors to put together a lineup we can share with our audiences this fall.”
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Film at Lincoln Center will determine the format of the festival this summer in regards to the global pandemic while working to ensure the safety of audiences and guests. The New York Film Festival has also appointed a new team of five advisors, including Violeta Bava, Michelle Carey, Leo Goldsmith, Rachael Rakes, and Gina Telaroli. The advisors will work with festival programmers on film scouting and facilitating connections and collaborations with various sectors of cinema.
(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Film at Lincoln Center)
