NEW YORK CITY — Dennis Lim serves as the artistic director of the New York Film Festival. He stated that premiere status is never the be-all and end-all for the organization. Lim said he thinks the festival has proved in the last few years that it creates a pretty interesting context for the launch of a film.

Tony Gilroy's "Behemoth" will also have its world premiere at the festival. The film marks Gilroy's first directorial effort since 2012's The Bourne Legacy. "Behemoth" stars Pedro Pascal as a former child prodigy and orchestral cellist working as a session player recording Hollywood film scores.

Ava DuVernay's documentary "14th" will have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival and serves as the closing-night selection. The film examines the 14th Amendment's protections of citizenship, due process, and safeguards against insurrection. 14th is a direct follow-up to DuVernay's 2016 documentary 13th, which opened the New York Film Festival that year.

Godzilla Minus Zero will have its world premiere at the festival. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film is a sequel to Godzilla Minus One, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2024. A Statement will also have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival. Directed by Tom McCarthy, it recreates a 1980 meeting of environmental activists, policymakers, and scientists regarding climate change data.

Mani Haghighi's film I Deserve a Lover Whose Every Rise Sets Fiery Dooms Raging Across the Skies" will have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 30, 2026. The documentary focuses on Nasser Bakhshi and Roghayeh Najdi, a couple in Tabriz, Iran. Footage for an earlier opening sequence of the film was confiscated by security forces in Iran."

The New York Film Festival's 2026 lineup includes 14 world premieres, with 6 of these films having previously screened at other major festivals like Telluride and Venice. "You Can See Everything" had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. The documentary "NAZA" won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Lim addressed the political nature of cinema in an interview. He said he would agree with that statement and thinks all films are political. He said even to say that one is apolitical is kind of a political position to take. He said to be human, to be alive in the world, is political. He said cinema of all the art forms is unavoidably political. He said they are reflecting the world and responding to the world. He said the most urgent, meaningful films today are engaged with the realities of contemporary existence.

He added that as long as he has any say, there will not be competitions.

Timeline

The 64th New York Film Festival opens on September 25, 2026.

The 64th New York Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 25 to October 12, 2026, and includes world premieres of films such as 'Artificial' and '14th'. The 64th New York Film Festival runs through October 12, 2026.

What's New

Luca Guadagnino's 'Artificial' was initially excluded from the 2026 festival circuit but was later added to NYFF after the festival successfully negotiated its world premiere. The 64th New York Film Festival will feature 145 films across 10 different sections, including 22 world premieres, according to the official lineup announcement. Dennis Lim has served as the artistic director of the New York Film Festival since 2019. The New York Film Festival has previously featured world premieres of films that later received Oscar nominations, such as 'The Social Network' (2010), which was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture.

The New York Film Festival has a history of premiering films that later received Oscar nominations, such as 2010's 'The Social Network,' which earned eight Oscar nods including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. NYFF's 2026 Centerpiece selection, 'Behemoth!' By Tony Gilroy, marks his first directorial effort since 2012's 'The Bourne Legacy.'

Why It Matters

This represents a rise from 14 to 22 world premieres. In 2025, the New York Film Festival had a total attendance of 185,000 people across its 27-day run, according to internal reports from Film at Lincoln Center.

The festival was founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel and is presented by Film at Lincoln Center.