Netflix and Amazon lead 2017 New York Film Festival line-up
David Farnor | On 14, Aug 2017
The 2017 New York Film Festival has unveiled its line-up, and Netflix and Amazon are leading the way.
The streaming services have stepped up their presence on the global film scene in the last couple of years, becoming major players at Sundance, where they look to snap up the latest and greatest indie hits. Along with their growing push into original feature production, they are both hoping to establish their position at the front of the pack of the new streaming industry, with Amazon’s Manchester by the Sea picking up two Oscars this year, alongside another for The Salesman, and Netflix’s The White Helmets nabbing its first ever Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
A big part of their campaign for awards success and industry clout is the film festival circuit, where they can showcase films and gather acclaim, as well as purchase new titles – particular the kind of mid-budget projects that studios are less likely to fund in an age of tentpoles and superheroes. Last year, Netflix opened the New York festival with Ava DuVernay’s 13th. This year, Netflix and Amazon combined account for one in five films screening at the event.
Amazon is home to all three of the major gala screenings, including Opening Night flick Last Flag Lying, from Richard Linklater, Todd Haynes’ Wonderstruck (the Centerpiece Gala) and Woody Allen’s Closing Night film, Wonder Wheel.
They will be joined by Netflix’s The Meyerowitz Stories, from Noah Baumbach, Dee Rees’ period drama Mudbound, which was acquired by Netflix at Sundance.
Other notable films in the festival’s line-up include Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or–winner The Square, Agnès Varda & JR’s Faces Places, Aki Kaurismäki’s Silver Bear–winner The Other Side of Hope, Luca Guadagnino’s acclaimed Call Me by Your Name, Claire Denis’ Bright Sunshine In/Un beau soleil intérieur, Hong Sang-soo’s The Day After, Joachim Trier’s Thelma, and Lady Bird, directed by Greta Gerwig.
NYFF Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones says: “Every year, I’m asked about the themes in our Main Slate line-up, and every year I say the same thing: we choose the best films we see, and the common themes and preoccupations arise only after the fact. As I look at this slate of beautiful work, I could just make a series of simple observations: that these films come from all over the globe; that there is a nice balance of filmmakers known and unknown to many here in New York; that the overall balance between frankness and artistry holds me in awe; that there are two gala selections with the word ‘wonder’ in their titles; and that eight of the 25 films were directed by women.”
The 18-day event kicks off on 28th September. Here’s the full line-up:
Opening Night
Last Flag Flying
Dir. Richard Linklater
Centerpiece
Wonderstruck
Dir. Todd Haynes
Closing Night
Wonder Wheel
Dir. Woody Allen
Before We Vanish
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
BPM (Beats Per Minute)/120 battements par minute
Dir. Robin Campillo
Bright Sunshine In/Un beau soleil intérieur
Dir. Claire Denis
Call Me by Your Name
Dir. Luca Guadagnino
The Day After
Dir. Hong Sang-soo
Faces Places/Visages villages
Dir. Agnès Varda & JR
Félicité
Dir. Alain Gomis
The Florida Project
Dir. Sean Baker
Ismael’s Ghosts/Les fantômes d’Ismaël
Dir. Arnaud Desplechin
Lady Bird
Dir. Greta Gerwig
Lover for a Day/L’Amant d’un jour
Dir. Philippe Garrel
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Dir. Noah Baumbach
Mrs. Hyde/Madame Hyde
Dir. Serge Bozon
Mudbound
Dir. Dee Rees
On the Beach at Night Alone
Dir. Hong Sang-soo
The Other Side of Hope/Toivon tuolla puolen
Dir. Aki Kaurismäki
The Rider
Dir. Chloé Zhao
Spoor/Pokot
Dir. Agnieszka Holland, in cooperation with Kasia Adamik
The Square
Dir. Ruben Östlund
Thelma
Dir. Joachim Trier
Western
Dir. Valeska Grisebach
Zama
Dir. Lucrecia Martel