James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' Sets the Stage for New York Film Festival Opening Night
The New York-set crime drama with Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller opens the festival Sept. 25 at Lincoln Center.
By Olivia Park · September 23, 2026 · 3 min read
NEW YORK — A New York crime story will open the 64th New York Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 25. Film at Lincoln Center has selected James Gray's “Paper Tiger” for opening night, positioning a hometown filmmaker and a star-heavy cast at the front of a program running through Oct. 12. The screening is billed as the film's North American premiere, not its world premiere.
Set in 1980s New York, the drama stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller. Its story follows a family pulled into a criminal scheme, according to the festival announcement. For Gray, who grew up in Queens, the selection marks another return to the Lincoln Center event after previous festival appearances for “The Immigrant,” “The Lost City of Z” and “Armageddon Time.”
The opening-night slot is an important platform rather than a commercial forecast. It brings critics, distributors and audiences into the same room, but a high-profile premiere does not guarantee a box-office run. The festival's appeal is broader than one red carpet: a mix of international cinema, new American films and conversations that can shape the fall film season.
For local moviegoers, the practical details are straightforward. The festival runs Sept. 25 through Oct. 12, and Film at Lincoln Center is the authoritative source for screening times and tickets. “Paper Tiger” arrives with a recognizably New York setting and established stars; its reception will depend on the film audiences actually see, not the expectations attached to its opening-night placement.