Excitement about what treasures the New York Film Festival (NYFF) 2026 lineup will reveal is building as moviegoers impatiently await the highly anticipated event. This esteemed event features a carefully chosen collection of the best in cinematic craftsmanship every year, and this year's choices are anticipated to be nothing short of extraordinary. Film fans are clamoring to see what the festival has in store, from highly anticipated blockbusters to possible breakout indie darlings.

Here are the gems going to be adorning the heart of the NYFF 2026 roster from September 25 to October 12.

Paper Tiger by James Gray will be the NYFF's opening-night presentation on September 25, as previously announced. Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson are the main leads in Gray's directorial feature, which is set in 1980s New York. It centers on two brothers' pursuit of a business opportunity that puts them in danger with the Russian mob.

The feature aims to be the writer-director's debut picture to enter the Oscar sweepstakes and will open nationwide in theaters on November 20 after a limited theatrical run starting November 13. The movie previously opened at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year and was attended by Driver and Teller, along with director Gray.

The 64th New York Film Festival will feature the world premiere of writer-director Tony Gilroy's most recent film as its centerpiece selection on October 2, according to a Tuesday announcement from Film at Lincoln Center. Behemoth!, Gilroy's first film since 2012's The Bourne Legacy, features Pedro Pascal as a cellist named Alex.

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Alex must overcome a number of personal and professional challenges, such as a tense relationship with an ex-lover (Olivia Wilde) and the shadow of his family's expectations for his stalled career. Eva Victor, Alexa Swinton, Kaya Ralls, Erik Griffin, JoBeth Williams, Margarita Levieva, Hank Azaria, and Will Arnett are among the supporting cast members.

The closing-night presentation of the 64th NYFF will feature the world premiere of Ava DuVernay's 14th. The documentary is a sequel to DuVernay's Oscar-nominated film 13th. The 14th Amendment, which gives citizenship to all Americans born or naturalized in the United States, is examined in the documentary 14th. Interviews with political, legal, and social scholars like Hasan Piker, Stacey Abrams, Sherrilyn Ifill, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be featured in the docufilm.

In the upcoming days to the Film Festival, further additions will be made. On September 15 at 12:00 ET, the general public will be able to purchase festival tickets. FLC members and pass holders will have pre-sale access before that date. In the meantime, one can definitely keep an eye on further updates on the lineup of the NYFF 2026.

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Which of the films premiering in the NYFF 2026 are you most excited for? Do let us know.