Todd Haynes’ ‘May December’ To Open New York Film Festival

Dade Hayes
·3 min read
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Todd Haynes’ May December will open the New York Film Festival on September 29, organizers said today.

The film had its world premiere in Cannes and its North American rights were acquired by Netflix for $11 million after an all-night bidding war. New York will host the film’s North American premiere as the kickoff to its 61st edition. Haynes and members of the cast headed by Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are expected to be in attendance.

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While the New York fest has sometimes opened with major world premieres like The Irishman in 2019, its DNA as a “festival of festivals” based in a media-rich city has led it to program plenty of non-premiere openers. The 2022 fest opened with White Noise, which had world-premiered in Venice. Even after an opening night featuring an established festival title, this year’s NYFF is likely feature quite a few world premieres during the course of its 17-day run. The remainder of the slate will be announced over the coming weeks.

In May December, Portman plays TV star Elizabeth, who is researching a new part by ingratiating herself into the lives of Gracie (Moore), whom she’ll be playing onscreen, and her much-younger husband, Joe (Charles Melton). Per the official logline, as Elizabeth attempts to get closer to the family, the uncomfortable facts of their scandal unfurl, causing difficult, long-dormant emotions to resurface.

Penned by first-time screenwriter Samy Burch, the film will be released domestically in theaters on November 17 and then December 1 on Netflix.

“We are all so proud and moved to have been invited to open the New York Film Festival,” Haynes said. “It is a festival that plays a role in my work and life like no other in the world, since it enshrines the cultural life of this city, which is both my creative home as a filmmaker and, as ever, the eternal site of artistic possibility.”

Dennis Lim, the festival’s Artistic Director, called May December “a tour de force of writing, acting and directing.” He added that the film is “built on moment-to-moment surprise, as thought-provoking as it is purely pleasurable.” Haynes, “one of American cinema’s most brilliant mischief-makers and as an all-time great director of actors,” has been “a consistent presence at the New York Film Festival for almost his entire career,” Lim continued, “and we are very excited to open this edition with one of his most dazzling achievements.”

Haynes made the 1987 short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story using Barbie dolls and went on to direct features including Poison, Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far from Heaven — earning an Oscar nom for his original screenplay — I’m Not There, Carol, Wonderstruck and Dark Waters. His documentary The Velvet Underground was an official selection at the 59th New York Film Festival. Haynes also co-wrote and helmed the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, which scored Emmy noms for writing, directing and Outstanding Miniseries or Movie

Along with Lim, the NYFF Main Slate selection committee includes Florence Almozini, Justin Chang, K. Austin Collins, and Rachel Rosen.

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