New York Film Festival 2021 Main Slate Includes 'Titane,' 'Benedetta,' And More

Get excited, film fans, because the Film at Lincoln Center announced the 32 films that comprise the Main Slate of the 59th New York Film Festival (NYFF). The upcoming slate will feature some of the film world's most daring new movies, including the Cannes-shocking Julia Ducournau film Titane, Paul Verhoeven's lesbian nun love affair Benedetta, and Gaspar Noé's split-screen drama, Vortex.

The 59th New York Film Festival will take place September 24 – October 10, 2021. 

This year's Main Slate showcases films produced in 31 different countries. The slate features new films from creators both rising and renowned, and includes celebrated films from other festivals, including Cannes prize winners Titane, Nadav Lapid's Ahed's Knee, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria, and Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World.

Dennis Lim, the director of programming and chair of the Main Slate selection committee, shared his excitement about the widely varied slate:

"Taken together, the movies in this year's Main Slate are a reminder of cinema's world-making possibilities. They open up new ways of seeing and feeling and thinking, and whether or not they refer to our uncertain present, they help us make sense of our moment. I'm in awe of the sheer range of voices, styles, ideas, and images contained in this lineup, which includes many returning filmmakers but also more new names than we've had in some time, and I'm eager to welcome audiences back to our cinemas to experience these films as live, communal events."

NYFF will feature in-person screenings, as well as select outdoor and virtual events. NYFF will not offer virtual screenings for this year's edition in light of festivals returning and theaters reopening nationwide. Proof of vaccination will be required for all staff, audiences, and filmmakers at NYFF59 venues, so at least precautions are being taken as Delta variant cases continue to rise.

As previously announced, the Opening Night selection for the 59th New York Film Festival is Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in Shakespeare's most famous tragedy. Jane Campion's western drama The Power of the Dog is the Centerpiece, and Pedro Almodóvar's contemporary melodrama Parallel Mothers will close the festival.

Here is the full 59th New York Film Festival Main Slate, with their directors:

You can read synopses for each of these movies and learn more about the 59th New York Film Festival at their website.