Inside NYFF’s Buzzy Opening Night with James Gray’s ‘Paper Tiger’ — SkimNews
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- Neon skipped Telluride and Toronto to debut James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' as the opening night gala at Alice Tully Hall for the 64th New York Film Festival, framing the move as an Oscar launch.
- 'Paper Tiger' screened in 35mm — the first 35mm film to open NYFF in some years, per artistic director Dennis Lim — with Gray telling the crowd he was 'hoping it looks great' and comparing the format to firing up a 'Model T.'
- The 1986 Queens-set drama stars Miles Teller as a hardworking father whose family lands in a disastrous scrape with the Russian mafia after Adam Driver's unreliable brother entangles them, with Scarlett Johansson as Teller's loyal wife.
- Oscar prospects diverge sharply: the piece calls Teller 'an Oscar newbie contending in a ridiculously crowded category' for Best Actor, while positioning Johansson as a stronger Supporting bet — she's earned two prior nominations (lead for 'Marriage Story' and Supporting for 'Jojo Rabbit') — and Driver, who has back-to-back Supporting nods for 'BlacKkKlansman' and 'Marriage Story.'
- 'Paper Tiger' opens theatrically on November 13 in 35mm.
- After-party chatter also previewed the rest of the NYFF slate of more than 100 films, including the Venice-winning Gaza documentary 'Naza,' A24's 'You Can See Everything' (October 16), and Tony Gilroy's Centerpiece Gala 'Behemoth!' starring Pedro Pascal (December 4).
Why it matters: The film's 35mm presentation — the first NYFF opener on film in years — is a deliberate aesthetic bet Neon's Oscar strategy leans into, but the after-party crowd was reportedly split, meaning the cast may have to carry awards momentum more than reviews. Johansson has the clearest path per the piece, with two prior nominations and a Supporting slot, while Teller is gambling on Best Actor recognition in a stacked field. For Neon, the gala gambit traded the festival-circuit buzz of Telluride and Toronto for the prestige halo of NYFF's Lincoln Center opener.
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