Adam Driver’s ‘Paper Tiger’ to Open NY Film Festival

The New York Film Festival has long served as a crucial launching pad for films aiming to make a serious mark during the fall awards season.

By selecting James Gray's gritty 1980s crime drama Paper Tiger as its opening night feature, the festival has placed a major spotlight on a deeply personal, New York-centric story.

Starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller, the film's prestigious placement cements its status as a heavyweight contender for the upcoming cinematic awards circuit.

What Happened

Film at Lincoln Center announced on Thursday, July 16, 2026, that Paper Tiger will serve as the Opening Night selection of the 64th New York Film Festival (NYFF).

The film is scheduled to make its North American premiere with a gala debut at Alice Tully Hall on Friday, September 25, 2026.

Director James Gray and members of the star-studded cast and crew are expected to attend the event.

Produced and distributed in North America by Neon, Paper Tiger arrives in New York following its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026.

The thriller is set in 1986 Queens and Brooklyn, telling the story of two brothers who get entangled with the Russian mafia.

Gary (Adam Driver), a corrupt former NYPD officer, pulls his younger brother Irwin (Miles Teller), a working-class engineer, into a dangerous scheme involving an oil-dumping project near the Gowanus Canal.

The situation quickly spirals out of control, threatening Irwin's wife Hester (Scarlett Johansson) and their young sons.

• Opening Night Date: Friday, September 25, 2026, at Alice Tully Hall.
• Director: James Gray, marking his fourth film selected for the New York Film Festival.
• Lead Cast: Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson.
• Distributor: Neon, which acquired the North American rights just before its Cannes premiere.
• U.S. Release Date: Scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on November 13, 2026.
• Setting: 1986 Queens and Brooklyn, New York.

Why It Matters

The opening slot at NYFF is one of the most prestigious honors in American independent and prestige cinema. For director James Gray, a native New Yorker, the selection represents a triumphant homecoming. Paper Tiger is his fourth film to be featured at the festival, following The Immigrant (2013), The Lost City of Z (2016), and Armageddon Time (2022).

The selection also signals strong backing from Neon, a distributor known for navigating successful Oscar campaigns. With rave reviews out of Cannes praising the lead performances—particularly the sibling tension between Driver and Teller—the NYFF opening night slot provides the perfect momentum ahead of its November theatrical release. By skipping other major fall festivals like Telluride and Toronto for its North American debut, Paper Tiger is banking heavily on the prestige of its home-turf premiere to capture the attention of critics and academy voters alike.

What Happens Next

Following its gala screening on September 25, the 64th New York Film Festival will run through October 12, 2026. Tickets for the general public will go on sale on September 15, with pre-sale access available earlier for festival pass holders and Film at Lincoln Center members. Audiences nationwide will then get their chance to see the film when Neon releases Paper Tiger in theaters on November 13, 2026, kicking off its wider commercial and awards-season run.

What We Still Don't Know

• How will North American critics and audiences react to the film compared to the international reception at Cannes?
• Which specific awards categories will Neon target for its lead actors, Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson?
• Will the film's hyper-local New York setting and period-accurate 1980s aesthetic translate to broad box office success outside of major metropolitan areas?

Source Note

This story draws on reporting from The Hollywood Reporter.