New York Film Festival

About New York Film Festival

The New York Film Festival, presented by Film at Lincoln Center, is one of the most intellectually rigorous and critically influential film events in the world. Unlike commercial festivals driven by acquisitions and market activity, NYFF is a pure curation exercise — its Main Slate of approximately 25 films represents the definitive selection of the best cinema of the year as judged by the festival's selection committee.

Held each October at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, NYFF has been presenting landmark cinema since 1963. Its Main Slate has introduced American audiences to the work of Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Akira Kurosawa, Martin Scorsese, and virtually every major filmmaker of the past six decades. A Main Slate selection is among the highest validations a film can receive.

NYFF is not a competition — there are no prizes for the Main Slate. This absence of awards gives the festival an unusual quality of pure critical attention, free from the horse-race dynamics that define most other major festivals. The press attention generated by a NYFF premiere is therefore based entirely on critical response rather than awards speculation.

A Filmmaker's Guide to New York Film Festival

NYFF does not accept direct submissions from filmmakers in the traditional sense. The selection committee — composed of programmers from Film at Lincoln Center — actively scouts films from sales agents, production companies, and international festivals throughout the year. Having a film accepted to a major international festival (Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Locarno) significantly increases visibility.

The Spotlight, Revivals, and Currents sections of NYFF program films selected from sales company submissions and festival scouting. The Shorts Program similarly operates through direct scouting and relationships. First-time filmmakers seeking a NYFF pathway should focus on building sales agent relationships or getting into feeder festivals.

NYFF Convergence programs immersive and interactive work at the intersection of cinema and technology. This section accepts submissions through a dedicated portal and represents an accessible pathway for filmmakers working in VR, AR, and hybrid forms.

What Programmers Look For

The NYFF selection committee, led by the festival's Chief Programmer, values films of undeniable artistic significance — works that add something new and necessary to the history of cinema. The bar for inclusion is extremely high: in a given year, there may be only 25 Main Slate selections from the total output of world cinema.

Formal innovation, thematic depth, and the quality of being irreplaceable — the sense that this particular film could not have been made by anyone other than its director — are the consistent values of the NYFF selection. The committee is explicitly anti-populist in its tastes, programming challenging work without concern for commercial accessibility.

The Selection Process

The Main Slate is selected by a small committee after a year of viewing films at festivals and from sales agents worldwide. The committee begins announcing selections in late August, with the full program revealed in September for the October festival.

NYFF consistently draws films from the year's major festivals — Cannes Palme d'Or contenders, Venice Golden Lion films, and Locarno discoveries regularly appear in the Main Slate. The festival serves partly as a final American showcase for the year's most significant international cinema.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does NYFF accept direct submissions?

A: The Main Slate does not accept direct submissions. The Shorts Program and some satellite sections accept submissions through Film at Lincoln Center's programming office. Sales agent representation and prior festival selection significantly help visibility.

Q: Are there awards at NYFF?

A: The Main Slate is non-competitive — there are no jury prizes for feature films. The Shorts Program and some satellite sections do award prizes. NYFF's prestige derives from selection itself rather than awards.

Q: When is NYFF?

A: The New York Film Festival runs for approximately two weeks in late September and October at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and other venues. Press screenings and industry screenings begin before the public program opens.

Q: What is the "Opening Night" selection at NYFF?

A: The Opening Night film at NYFF is one of the most prestigious premiere slots in cinema — it signals the festival's definitive statement about the most important film of the year. Past Opening Night selections include Marriage Story, The Power of the Dog, and The French Dispatch.

Q: How does a NYFF selection affect a film's commercial prospects?

A: A Main Slate NYFF selection generates significant critical attention from New York's influential press corps. While NYFF does not drive acquisitions the way Sundance or Toronto do, the critical validation from a NYFF premiere can significantly influence awards-season positioning.

Submit Your Film

Ready to submit to New York Film Festival? Visit https://filmlinc.org/nyff for submission information and deadlines. Review all submission guidelines carefully, ensure your materials are complete, and submit early to give your film the best chance of a thorough review. We look forward to seeing your work.