Coming out of the 54th New York Film Festival are eight scientific or technological-themed films. Both feature and documentary, most of these films have release dates set for 2016 or 2017, while two are still looking for distribution.
James Gray’s THE LOST CITY OF Z, projected in 35mm, is based on a non-fiction book about an explorer searching for a city in the Amazon rainforest in the 1920s. The film is being distributed by Amazon Studios and will be in theaters and available on VOD in 2017. Paul Verhoeven’s ELLE, which stars the CEO of a videogame company, is similarly based on a book–a novel by Philippe Djian. The film is set for a U.S. theatrical release in November of 2016 by Sony Pictures Classics. Ang Lee’s BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK, based on Ben Fountain’s novel, is about a traumatized war veteran. It was partially shot at special effect’s pioneer Douglas Trumbull’s studio in the Berkshires with a new technology called Magi which shoots films with 4,000 pixel-wide resolution. The film is presented in RealD 3D; it will be in theaters in November of 2016 via Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The documentary KARL MARX CITY by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker is about the history of surveillance in East Germany. The film is looking for a distributor. Eduardo Williams’ THE HUMAN SURGE follows individuals in Brazil, Portugal, and Argentina, tracking the way they use their phones. The film is looking for a distributor.
Kristen Stewart plays a medium in Olivier Assayas’ film PERSONAL SHOPPER. Distributed by IFC Films, it will be in theaters in March of 2017. Jean-Pierre Léaud plays the Sun King in THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV; Louis XIV founded the National Academy of Sciences. The Cinema Guild is distributing the film. João Pedro Rodrigues, in his feature THE ORNITHOLOGIST, depicts a man lost on a bird-watching expedition and turns the story into a parable of Saint Anthony of Padua, the “finder of lost articles.” The film will be released in France in November by Epicentre films and is looking for an American distributer.
The New York Film Festival runs through October 16, 2016.
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