James Gray’s 'Paper Tiger' Opens NYFF
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' will open the 64th New York Film Festival on September 25 with a gala premiere at Alice Tully Hall, marking his first time opening the event in his native New York City.
- Neon will release 'Paper Tiger' later this year following its North American premiere at NYFF, after the film debuted in competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival to strong critical reception.
- Miles Teller, Adam Driver, and Scarlett Johansson star in 'Paper Tiger', with Teller earning particular acclaim for his portrayal of a family man drawn into a criminal scheme by his brother, a former NYPD officer.
- Dennis Lim, NYFF Artistic Director, hailed 'Paper Tiger' as a 'career-best achievement' and 'a movie of immense emotional power', affirming Gray’s status as one of the great New York filmmakers.
- 'Paper Tiger' is set in 1986 Queens and Brooklyn, depicting the domestic fallout when engineer Irwin (Teller) is pulled into an oil-dumping scheme by his brother Gary (Driver), endangering his wife (Johansson) and sons.
Why it matters: Opening NYFF is a rare honor that elevates a film’s cultural profile ahead of awards season; for Gray, a New York native with three prior festival selections, this marks his first opening-night spotlight, signaling strong institutional endorsement of his latest work as both personal and mythic in scope.
