When you hear “film festival,” the first cities that spring to mind might be Cannes, Venice or Toronto — but rest assured, New Yorkers, there’s no place like home. Since its 1963 inception, the annual New York Film Festival has brought new releases and underappreciated oldies, directorial debuts and films from established auteurs, under-the-radar international features and highly anticipated domestic ones to the big screen.
Four sections comprise the festival lineup — main slate, a collection of “bold and remarkable works;” spotlight, a handful of anticipated releases; currents, a selection of boundary-pushing films from around the world; and revivals, which highlights past titles recently restored or preserved. Enjoy this compilation of festival picks that WSN recommends you keep an eye on. The New York Film Festival will run from Sept. 26 to Oct. 13, 2025 at Lincoln Center.
Main slate
“After the Hunt” (dir. Luca Guadagnino)
On the heels of the same-year releases of “Challengers” and “Queer,” director Luca Guadagnino returns with a college campus-set psychological thriller that scrutinizes cancel culture in the aftermath of the #MeToo era. “After the Hunt” stars Julia Roberts as a professor who faces a dilemma when her overachieving student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses her colleague (Andrew Garfield) of sexual assault. Have academic environments truly evolved beyond the toxicity of decades past? Find out at this Opening Night premiere.
“Is This Thing On?” (dir. Bradley Cooper)
12-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper dials back from his ambitious, large-scale previous films “A Star is Born” and “Maestro” with the grounded divorce comedy-drama “Is This Thing On?” The film stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple who has lost their spark and follows Arnett’s character’s head-first dive into the world of stand-up comedy. Inspired by the life of comedian John Bishop, this closing night pick is one to watch.
“Jay Kelly” (dir. Noah Baumbach)
Noah Baumbach’s latest heartstring-tugger sees George Clooney assume the “Birdman”-esque self-reflexive starring role of Jay Kelly — an aging film star looking to reconnect with those closest to him. Adam Sandler co-stars as Jay’s manager, and the duo seems poised to sweep the upcoming awards season. After all, Hollywood loves movies about itself, as long as they don’t paint too negative a picture — cough cough, “Sunset Boulevard” and “Babylon.” Check out “Jay Kelly” for yourself at one of its four scheduled screenings.
“The Secret Agent” (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
After Brazil’s “I’m Still Here” took the world by storm earlier this year, the next internationally acclaimed feature to come out of the country has big shoes to fill. Thankfully, it already has two trophies from the Cannes Film Festival under its belt. The film takes place in 1977 and follows Wagner Moura as a dissident university professor who seeks to escape the country and reconnect with his son, all while being hunted by the vicious military dictatorship. The gripping premise and historical significance alone make this a must-watch.
Spotlight
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” (dir. Scott Cooper)
Bruce Springsteen is inarguably one of the most celebrated musicians of our time. That fact combined with Hollywood’s commitment to biopic-ify the life of every major musical artist of the past 50 years made “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” all but inevitable. Thankfully, it’s in good hands — director of the Oscar-winning “Crazy Heart” Scott Cooper at the helm and Jeremy Allen White in the title role. The choice to anchor the story around the “Nebraska” sessions, a time of turmoil for Springsteen, promises an unconventional and enticing film.
“Anemone” (dir. Ronan Day-Lewis)
The legendary Daniel Day-Lewis returns from his eight-year acting hiatus in his son’s directorial debut. Is it nepotism? Maybe, but when the teaser trailer is this good, who cares? The film, written jointly by the two, is a fable shrouded in mystery and fog that sees estranged brothers reunited in the forest of Northern England. It’s one of those movies where what’s on paper is enough to entice — a rich, visually striking family drama starring a man who has never let us down. Sign up.
Currents
“With Hasan in Gaza” (dir. Kamal Aljafari)
This documentary compiles MiniDV footage from a 2001 journey across Gaza and hits the screen at an impossibly relevant time. Juxtaposing footage of calm, everyday life with unmistakable Israeli violence, it forces us to question how much, if anything, has really improved in the region after nearly 25 years. Palestinian director Kamal Aljafari’s film is sure to be a tough watch — but at times like these, what could be more necessary?
Revivals
“Queen Kelly” (dir. Erich von Stroheim)
Fans of “Sunset Boulevard” will be charmed to know that Gloria Swanson and Erich von Stroheim’s portrayals of a leading lady and her old director weren’t based in fiction — the two actually worked together in real life. “Queen Kelly” is a silent film collaboration of theirs, full of royalty, kidnapping and violence. It will screen with a new digital reconstruction at the festival.
Tickets for the New York Film Festival go on sale to the general public Thursday 9/18/25 at noon, and can be found at this link.
Contact Leo Field at [email protected]