Paper Tiger Opens NYFF: James Gray’s 35mm Gala Sparks Early Oscar Talk

The 64th New York Film Festival kicked off with James Gray’s Paper Tiger, a North American premiere chosen by Neon as the gala opener at Alice Tully Hall. The festival’s artistic director, Dennis Lim, opened the screening by noting the movie’s place in a landscape where personal cinema can feel hard to mount today, and he flagged that this would be the first NYFF opening in several years to feature a 35mm print.

Gray joined Neon for a post–screening Q&A alongside Miles Teller, Adam Driver, and Scarlett Johansson. Gray thanked Neon for producing 35mm prints for the festival and quipped about the screening format, saying it felt like cueing up an old car engine with a familiar line: “Auntie Em, fire up the Model T!” The official press materials and attendees suggest the film will also play in 35mm when it opens to the public on November 13.

Set in Queens in 1986, Paper Tiger follows a working father whose family’s life is destabilized by a chance encounter with the Russian mafia. Teller anchors the film as the family’s longtime, decent father; Johansson plays his wife, who reacts with understandable concern, while Driver portrays the brother/uncle figure who pulls the family into the trouble. The conversations at the after-party leaned into Oscar prospects for the trio: Teller is contending in Best Actor in a crowded category, Johansson is positioned for Supporting, and Driver has previously been nominated in both Supporting and Lead categories in different projects. Critics and industry observers generally treated the performances as the film’s strongest asset, with debates centering on how the awards narrative might unfold if the film extends its festival life and eyes a broader release cycle.

Beyond Paper Tiger, NYFF’s lineup is already drawing attention to a slate that includes Gaza documentary Naza (a Venice prize winner), the buzzed-about You Can See Everything (A24, October 16), a Nathan Fielder/Lance Oppenheim documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, and Tony Gilroy’s Centerpiece Gala Behemoth! (Searchlight, December 4) featuring Pedro Pascal as a Hollywood composer. IndieWire’s coverage also teased a live Screen Talk podcast at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center with Tony Gilroy, taped October 6 and posted October 9, adding another layer to the festival’s media footprint.

In short, opening night framed Paper Tiger as a potential Oscar contender and a reminder of NYFF’s appetite for high‑stakes, personal cinema staged in a classic format. The conversation around the film’s prospects will likely extend as reviews and awards-season campaigns build in the weeks ahead.

Source: IndieWire

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