Arts & Living

New York Film Festival

Naima Booth • November 27, 2024

Palestinian director, Basel Adra shown with Israeli director, Yuval Abraham from the movie No Other Land.

The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is an annual event hosted at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The world-renowned director, Martin Scorses, touches on the festival’s history: “The New York Film Festival was first held in 1963 and featured films from the United States and countries around the world.” Its founders, Richard Roud and Amos Vogel were inspired by the great success of the London Film Festival. The first New York Film Festival opened with The Exterminating Angel written and directed by Luis Buñuel. The New York Film Festival proudly presents the best hand-selected films, documentaries, and low-budget films as well as other attractions, such as opening and closing night films, centerpieces, free talks, and other VIP luxuries.

NYFF is the perfect place to showcase new films, foreign films, documentaries, and up-and-coming directors and actors. Being exposed to the New York Film Festival allows amateur actors to gain experience by collaborating with more experienced actors. For directors and producers, it allows them the opportunity to socialize with famous writers/producers who have worked in the film industry for many years. Esteemed directors appearing in this year’s festival include Pedro Almodóvar, Mike Leigh, David Cronenberg, Paul Schrader, Steve McQueen, and Luca Guadagnino.

This year, starting on September 27th, over a hundred films from twenty-four countries will be exhibited. This includes Nickel Boys, The Friend, The Room Next Door, Maria, Blitz, Pepe, and Queer.

The Opening Night will start with RaMell Ross’s Nickel Boys, a film set during the Jim Crow era encircling Elwood and Turner, played by Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson. Elwood and Turner are two black teenagers who become wards in a youth detention center, who persevere through racism and other horrors they encounter together. Through their enduring friendship, Elwood and Turner discover hope, even in the darkest times.

The Friend is an American film based on the book written by Sigrid Nunez. Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s adaptation of this novel has been described as being humane, philosophical, curious, angry, and full of grief. The Friend’s unique and popular cast of Naomi Watts and Bill Murray skyrocketed the film’s popularity. Watts plays a novelist and creative writing teacher named Iris. Her life gets flipped upside down when her close friend and mentor (played by Bill Murray) commits suicide and bestows his Great Dane upon her. With the Great Dane comes many challenges and realizations; accepting that her friend is no longer alive, as well as accepting the other harsh realities of life she must face.

Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín, stars Angelina Jolie as the main character Maria Callas, a beloved and famous Greek opera singer during her final week in 1970s Paris. Pablo Larraín is a director, writer, and producer of many movies. He has directed many flicks on world-famous women living with the realities of being a celebrity during low points in their lives. Maria demonstrates the troubles the opera singer experienced trying to define the boundaries of her private and social life; exemplifying how close those two lives come to crashing into one another.

Pepe, a less commonly known movie based on real events, is filmed from the perspective of a sentient hippopotamus. The hippo was owned by the famous Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, and lived on his estate in Colombia. After the death of Escobar, Pepe is reintroduced into the wild and struggles to adapt and live in the wild amongst his kind for the first time. The film depicts Pepe’s inner thoughts and emotions as we see the world through his eyes. This feature poses vexing questions about life on Earth and how things may be perceived. However, most importantly it’s a reminder that we still don’t truly understand the depths of an animal’s emotional intelligence.

The films: Anora, All We Imagine as Light, and Emilia Pérez have already gained an immense following leading to their sell-out.

However, the movie that takes the cake is No Other Land, directed by Palestinian and Israelis: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor. No Other Land is a documentary based on the grueling circumstances undergone by Masafer Yatta, a collective of Palestinian hamlets in the southern West Bank created by the Israeli military. Led by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, the two of them utilize their skills to film and report on the actions of the Israeli military. Although from opposite sides of the fight, Adra and Abraham are able to put aside their differences and come together to protest against the demolition of the village and people’s homes that resulted in mass homelessness and displacement. Their friendship coincides with the theme that politics should not come so far as to harm other people.

Overall, The 2024 New York Film Festival showcases a diverse collection of films ranging from political dramas to heart-wrenching tales of loss. Movies presented at this gathering promote both unique and important themes relating to real-life occurrences. This annual event encourages the growth of the film industry and people’s careers, becoming a staple of improvement. The NYFF is an amazing opportunity that should be taken advantage of by not only the audience but actors and directors alike.

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