Tom McCarthy’s dark comedy A Statement and new work from The UK’s Jonathan Glazer and Charlotte Wells will receive their world premieres among 13 features and 10 shorts in New York Film Festival’s (NYFF, September 25-October 12) Spotlight.
A Statement recreates events at a Florida hotel in October 1980 as policy makers, scientists and activists gather on the eve of the US election to issue a statement on how US lawmakers should deal with a report on the climate crisis. Sony Pictures Classics holds worldwide rights to the ensemble featuring Paul Rudd, Amy Ryan, Paul Giamatti, John Turturro, and Tatiana Maslany.
Glazer’s 38-minute Joy Of Joys is categorised under the Spotlight Gala lineup. The Oscar-winning director of The Zone Of Interest equipped children with digital cameras to shoot behind-the-scenes footage at an Abbey Road Studios 2026 charity recording of HELP(2), while children from war-ravaged regions film scenes of life in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen.
The features roster includes the North American premiere of Albert Serra’s concert film Sixteen Moments Of My Life (Seize Moments De Ma Vie) that focuses on Ingrid Caven, the German actress and cabaret singer and former spouse of Rainer Werner Fassbinder who was a muse to Yves Saint Laurent. The film will receive its world premiere in San Sebastian.
There are New York premieres for Jesse Eisenberge’s Telluride premiere and LFF closing night film The Debut with Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti at A24; Werner Herzog’s Venice-bound sales title Bucking Fastard starring sisters Rooney and Kate Mara; A24’s Cannes sensation Club Kid from Jordan Firstman; Christian Mungiu’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fjord starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan at Neon; and Noah Segan’s Sundance hit The Only Living Pickpocket In New York starring John Turturro at Sony Pictures Classics.
Eleanor Coppola’s documentary Making Marie Antoinette at Mubi, which goes behind the scenes on the production of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and was completed by Sofia Coppola after her mother’s death in 2024, also gets its New York premiere.
World premieres in the shorts lineup include New York Never Let Me Down, Wells’s follow-up to her Bafta-winning Aftersun that focuses on the celebrated drummer and drum teacher Paula Spiro; and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s South Of Tehran, the first film to emerge from the NYFF Encounters initiative in which an attending filmmaker was invited to create a short during the festival. Filho filmed a conversation he had with Jafar Panahi while both attended the festival last year with The Secret Agent and It Was Just an Accident.
As previously announced, Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero will receive its world premiere at the festival.
64th New York Film Festival Spotlight
Spotlight Gala
Godzilla Minus Zero, dir. Takashi Yamazaki
Bucking Fastard, dir. Werner Herzog
Club Kid, dir. Jordan Firstman
The Debut, dir. Jesse Eisenberg
Edward Said: Between Worlds, dir. Maiken Baird
Fjord, dir. Cristian Mungiu
Iron Boy, dir. Louis Clichy
Joy Of Joys, dir. Jonathan Glazer
Making Marie Antoinette, dir. leanor Coppola
One More Time, dirs. Cindy Kleine, André Gregory
The Only Living Pickpocket In New York, dir. Noah Segan
Sixteen Moments of My Life, dir. Albert Serra
A Statement, dir. Tom McCarthy
Spotlight Shorts
South Of Tehran, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Masao Adachi Takes A Passport Photo, dir. Kamal Aljafar
A Stolen Movie, dir. Camilo Restrepo
Torino Shadow, dir. Jia Zhangke
Screening Room, dir. Morgan Fisher
New York Shorts
The People’s Beach, dir. J. Wortham
Ee, dir. Heather Landsman
The House Call, dir. Eliza Barry Callahan
A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere, dir. Fanny Texier
New York Never Let Me Down, dir. Charlotte Wells.
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