NYFF, 9/29.

"Proudly, at times lazily, this is a festival that always demands discrimination from its audience, a sense of adventure, even as it also relies on no small amount of brand loyalty," writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times, surveying the program before segueing into an explanation as to why this "is an important year for the New York Film Festival."

Updated.

Perhaps as early as 2009, "the Film Society will have a new public home on the south side of 65th Street called the Elinor Bunin-Munroe Film Center. This large new space will include an education center, gallery, cafe, indoor amphitheater and two theaters (90 and 150 seats) to complement the recently refurbished 268-seat Walter Reade Theater across the street and up one flight of stairs.... The question is how the Film Society will rise to the occasion of these new digs: notably, will it expand beyond its cozy core constituency?" And there's an accompanying audio slide show.

For Variety, John Anderson offers an inside view of the selection process. Also, David Hafetz talks with programmer Richard Peña.

The NYT and Variety pieces spark a few comments from the cinetrix, who's been "trying to help a hardy band of undergrads find their way into a panoply of world cinema classics":

Thank God for DVDs. The cinetrix can serve up some of those big names - Bergman, Truffaut, Antonioni, Forman - that the NYFF has championed over the decades, in far better condition than the shitty Swank 16mms she watched in school. The kids may never have seen anything like 'em before, but they're down for whatever. They ask good questions that demand more than the 'because I said so' cant answers rooted in reputations and history.

A "Halfway Re-cap" from Karina Longworth at the SpoutBlog: the reviews so far.

In his overview for Gay City News, Steve Erickson sees an emphasis on American films and documentaries.

Update: Glenn Kenny puts on a tux and mingles through the opening night party.

Posted by dwhudson at September 29, 2007 6:35 AM