64th New York Film Festival opens with James Gray's 'Paper Tiger'

The 64th New York Film Festival opened on Friday, September 25, 2026, with the North American premiere of James Gray's crime thriller "Paper Tiger." The festival runs through October 12, with more than 70 fiction features and documentaries screening across all five New York City boroughs, according to CBS News and Hoodline.

The opening film

"Paper Tiger" stars Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson. Hoodline describes the film as following "a former NYPD street cop connected to the Russian mob." CBS News reported that Gray has described the story as semi-autobiographical.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May before its North American debut in New York, according to Hoodline. The outlet reported that Neon will release it in theaters on November 13.

Documentaries in the lineup

Documentaries play a large role in this year's program. According to Hoodline, Ava DuVernay's "14th," which looks at attacks on the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, premieres on October 9. Hoodline reported that the film is a follow-up to DuVernay's 2016 documentary "13th," which opened the festival ten years ago, and that Netflix will stream it starting December 4.

CBS News highlighted several other nonfiction titles. Nathan Fielder's "You Can See Everything" documents Elizabeth Holmes before her prison sentence. "NAZA," which examines AI-powered targeting in Gaza, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Sofia Coppola has completed "Making Marie Antoinette," built from a video diary that her mother, Eleanor Coppola, shot during production.

World premieres and international titles

CBS News reported that the festival includes world premieres of Tony Gilroy's "Behemoth!," with Pedro Pascal as a cellist, and Luca Guadagnino's "Artificial," which explores the early history of the AI industry. Takashi Yamazaki's "Godzilla Minus Zero" also screens.

The international lineup includes new work from Werner Herzog, Pedro Almodovar's "Bitter Christmas," and Cristian Mungiu's "Fjord," which won the top prize at Cannes this year. According to Hoodline, "Fjord" stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, and the festival also features talks with filmmakers including Jim Jarmusch, Mike Leigh, Kleber Mendonca Filho and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

Restorations are also on the program. Hoodline reported that the festival is showing a restored version of Ken Russell's 1971 film "The Devils," along with "Once Upon a Time in Harlem," built from restored 1972 footage of Harlem Renaissance figures.

Why it matters

The festival brings together prize winners from Cannes and Venice, new films from major directors and world premieres in one program. Several selections already have release plans: Neon has set "Paper Tiger" for theaters in November, and Netflix will stream "14th" from December. That gives New York audiences and critics an early look at titles that will reach theaters and streaming services in the coming months.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.