Neon Sets Oscar Push for Paper Tiger Ahead of NYFF Opening
Neon will campaign Miles Teller for best actor, Adam Driver for best supporting actor and Scarlett Johansson for best supporting actress for Paper Tiger, in a full autumn awards push exclusively reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Sept. 22.
The split is now set. The film is a crime-thriller written and directed by James Gray and starring Teller, Driver and Johansson, according to the same report.
The story centres on two brothers who become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true, according to distributor Neon. Neon calls it a deeply felt and intense drama from Gray. No verdict here. That is for the critics.
Paper Tiger had its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May, after being added late to the lineup, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter in April and May. Its next stop is bigger at home. It will have its North American premiere as the Opening Night film of the 64th New York Film Festival, which was announced by organiser Film at Lincoln Center.
That opening screening is set for Sept. 25 at Alice Tully Hall in New York, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The festival itself runs Sept. 25 to Oct. 12, according to Film at Lincoln Center. Opening Night is the gala slot that launches the programme, with the cast and film-makers usually in the room.
Neon, which picked up North American rights to the film and serves as its U.S. and U.K. distributor, will then take it to cinemas. It is scheduled for U.S. theatrical release in select theatres on Nov. 13, followed by a wider release on Nov. 20, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
For awards watchers, the category calls matter because studios choose where each performance competes. Lead acting categories honour principal roles, while supporting categories honour secondary roles, and voters follow those placements on the ballot. Neon has made its choice public early.
The production was made for $15 million and lists 24 executive producers in its credits, according to The Hollywood Reporter. An executive producer credit often reflects financing or key deal-making rather than day-to-day work on set.
