New Directors/New Films Festival in New York City, March 23

This year, the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Museum of Modern Art celebrate the 40^th anniversary of their annual New Directors/New Films festival. For four decades now this festival has uncovered fresh talent and provided them a venue to display their early work. A list of former entrants reads like a Who’s Who of illustrious directors in Hollywood and the world of independent features. Stephen Spielberg, Kevin Smith, Christopher Nolan, Pedro Almodovar, Spike Lee, Darren Aronofsky, Courtney Hunt, and Ken Burns have all showcased work through this festival.

This year’s program consists of 28 films (24 narrative, 4 documentaries) and spans the globe in terms of its roster. Twenty-seven countries are represented, among them Norway (Happy, Happy), Ghana (The Destiny of Lesser Animals), Romania (Outbound), and Peru (Octubre). Opening night features J.C. Chandor’s Wall Street-themed drama Margin Call, and the festival will close with the Award-winning film Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz. Speaking on these films, Richard Pena, the Program Director for the Lincoln Center Film Society, commented, “We are thrilled to have Margin Call and Circumstance as our Opening and Closing Night films. Both are dynamic and riveting dramas from first time feature film directors that give a unique view into the human lives at the core of two vastly different, but very immediate worlds.”

New Directors/New Films opens on Wednesday night, March 23^rd and runs through April 3^rd. More information about this year’s selections and how to purchase tickets can be found on the website: http://newdirectors.org/.