Film Society of Lincoln Center announces EXPLORATIONS & MAIN SLATE SHORTS for New York Film Festival

NEW YORK - Oct. 3, 2016 - PRLog -- The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces Explorations, a new section featuring bold selections from the vanguard of contemporary cinema, and Main Slate shorts for the 54th New York Film Festival (September 30 – October 16).

Explorations is devoted to work from around the world, from filmmakers across the spectrum of experience and artistic sensibility. Some films are delicate, others more forceful; some are contemplative and some dive directly into the heart of their material. The one quality that they share is that they are adventurous and exploratory, in the very best sense of the word.

The new section kicks off with six features, including Albert Serra's latest, The Death of Louis XIV, featuring a tour de force performance by French cinema legend Jean-Pierre Léaud; Douglas Gordon's portrait of avant-garde icon Jonas Mekas, I Had Nowhere to Go; João Pedro Rodrigues's The Ornithologist, which won him the Best Director prize at Locarno; as well as Natalia Almada's Everything Else, Gastón Solnicki's Kékszakállú, and Oliver Laxe's Mimosas.

New York Film Festival Director Kent Jones said, "We got to thinking about the composition of the festival, and it seemed like it might be interesting to add a new element, a new section of films linked by a common spirit of adventurousness on the part of the filmmakers. We talked it over as a group, everyone liked the idea, and these are the six films we chose for the first incarnation. I love the range here. And I love the extremity of these movies, the feeling of an artist sparked by an intuition or a desire, no matter how fugitive or fleeting, and pursuing it all the way to its end point."

This year's festival also showcases 23 shorts in five programs as part of the NYFF Main Slate. Shorts Program 1: Narrative includes emerging filmmakers such as New Directors/New Films alum Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty) and Roger Ross Williams, a co-creator of Convergence's Traveling While Black and an Oscar winner for Best Documentary Short. Shorts Program 2: International Auteurs highlights new short work from acclaimed directors Nadav Lapid, Bertrand Bonello, Jia Zhangke, and Gabriel Abrantes, while Shorts Program 4: New York Stories focuses on our city, featuring Gina Telaroli (NYFF Artists Academy 2015), Dustin Guy Defa (Local Color: The Short Films of Dustin Guy Defa, FSLC 2015), and the directorial debut of New York actress Chloë Sevigny. The second annual Genre Stories and the inaugural Documentary shorts program present global tales, both real and unreal, and boast world premieres of Jack Burke's New Gods, Adam Goldhammer's Imposter, Lewie Kloster's Legal Smuggling with Christine Choy, Matt Tyrnauer's Jean Nouvel: Reflections, and Mila Aung-Thwin and Van Royko's The Vote.

The 17-day New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The selection committee, chaired by Jones, also includes Dennis Lim, FSLC Director of Programming; Florence Almozini, FSLC Associate Director of Programming; Amy Taubin, Contributing Editor,Artforum and Film Comment; and Gavin Smith, who serves as a consultant. Shorts are programmed by Dilcia Barrera, Laura Kern, Dennis Lim, Gabi Madsen, and Dan Sullivan.

NYFF previously announced the world premieres of Ava DuVernay's documentary The 13th as the Opening Night selection, Mike Mills's 20th Century Women as Centerpiece, and James Gray's The Lost City of Z as Closing Night.

Tickets for the 54th New York Film Festival went on sale September 11. To learn more about NYFF tickets, including a complete list of on-sale dates, prices, discount options, and our rush and standby policies, go to http://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2016/ticket-information.

For even more access, VIP passes and subscription packages offer the earliest opportunities to purchase tickets and secure seats at some of the festival's biggest events including Opening and Closing Nights, and Centerpiece. VIP passes also provide access to many exciting events, including the invitation-only Opening Night party, "An Evening with…" dinner, Filmmaker Brunch, and VIP Lounge. Benefits vary based on the pass or package type purchased. VIP passes and subscription packages are on sale now. Learn more at http://filmlinc.org/NYFF.

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.'s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come.

The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from American Airlines, The New York Times, HBO, The Kobal Collection, Variety, Loews Regency Hotel, Row NYC Hotel, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Support for the New York Film Festival is also generously provided by Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

For more information about the New York Film Festival, visit http://filmlinc.org/NYFF. For the latest news, subscribe to the festival's newsletter, follow the festival on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag: #NYFF.

For media specific inquiries regarding the Film Society of Lincoln Center, please contact:

Lisa Thomas
lthomas@filmlinc.org
212-671-4709

Rachel Allen
rallen@filmlinc.org
212-875-5423