The 2008 Cannes Palme d’Or winner, “The Class” (“Entre les Murs”) has been selected to open the the 46 annual 2008 New York Film Festival which runs Sept. 26-Oct. 12 in the Big Apple.
Of note to New Yorkers, NYFF will be held at the Ziegfeld Theater due to ongoing renovations at the event’s traditional home, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, which is personally a lot better for us distance wise.
Also playing during the fest is a showcase that will be held during the festival in tribute to the Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Oshima and the annual “Views From the Avant-Garde” featuring a 30th anniversary presentation of Guy Debord’s “We Spin Around the Night Consumed by the Fire.”
Still no word about those ‘Che’ NYFF rumors, but as we hear it, it’s likely going to happen. And if iit does, hopefully Steven Soderbergh’s epic will be shown in its entire 4-hour cut like Cannes jury head Sean Penn recently said he hoped it would be. We’re told just like TIFF ’08, NYFF will have a lot of Cannes pictures, so keep that in mind. Hopefully, Charlie Kaufman‘s “Synecdoche, New York” will screen as well.
Note: Variety says strong bets for NYFF’08 and or at least consideration include Clint Eastwood’s “The Changeling,” Gus Van Sant’s “Milk” (if finished in time); Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road”; John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”; Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon”; as well as the Che/Synecdoche films we’re hoping for.
Also, take note: the Village Voice’s J. Hoberman is one of the associate directors of programming for NYFF a and he loved ‘Che,’ so that further bodes well for its inclusion.