Paper Tiger Opens New York Film Festival as New Lounge Debuts
James Gray's Paper Tiger opens the 64th New York Film Festival on Friday, September 25, with its North American premiere at Alice Tully Hall. The gala screening is scheduled for 6:00 PM and starts a festival run that continues through October 12. The 115-minute film stars Miles Teller, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, according to The Hollywood Reporter and listings from Film at Lincoln Center.
The opening followed a Thursday night unveiling on September 24. The festival and Rolex opened a new film-makers lounge inside the glass-walled Lincoln Ristorante, across from the Lincoln Center reflecting pool. Gray attended, alongside Tony Gilroy, Film at Lincoln Center president Daniel Battsek and festival artistic director Dennis Lim.
It is the second year Rolex has sponsored the festival. The lounge gives directors, actors and festival guests a base during the event. Gray is home. He grew up in Queens.
Paper Tiger is a New York-set story, reported by Deadline. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May and later screened at the Locarno Film Festival in August. Organisers planned to show the opening night screening in 35mm, celluloid print projected from film rather than a digital file. Gray and members of the cast were expected at the gala debut.
North American premiere means the first screening in the United States and Canada. The festival announced Paper Tiger as its opening night choice on July 16. The festival will also pair Gray with Martin Scorsese for an event tied to the film.
Elsewhere in the programme, Tony Gilroy's Behemoth!, starring Pedro Pascal, is set for its world premiere at the festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gilroy was also present for the lounge unveiling.
What makes this stand out for regular cinema-goers is the physical detail. A 35mm opening in a large hall and a home-city premiere put the emphasis on watching a film together, in one room, on opening night.
