Though first trailer was just released a few weeks ago, now Life of Pi has been announced as the Opening Night Gala presentation for the 50th annual New York Film Festival (NYFF), where it will also make its World Premiere. This will be director Ang Lee’s first film at the NYFF since the fantastic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was screened as the Closing Gala presentation in 2000.
“I am both delighted and honored to be back at the New York Film Festival with Life of Pi,” said Ang Lee. “I am also excited because this is my hometown, and to be unveiling this film that I am so proud of here is a real pleasure.”
When the movie premieres at the NYFF on September 28th, it will join some impressive company; past films that have been selected for the Opening Gala presentation include Akira Kurosawa’s Ran (1985), Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), Stephen Frears’s The Queen (2006), and David Fincher’s The Social Network (2010).
The film, based on the Yann Martel novel of the same name, is about a boy – the sole human survivor of a shipwreck – who journeys across the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat, with a Bengal tiger as his only company. Life of Pi will be presented in 3D – the first time a film will be shown in 3D at the NYFF Opening Gala.
Richard Peña, Selection Committee Chair & Program Director of The Film Society of Lincoln Center, had nothing but praise for the movie:
“Life of Pi is a perfect combination of technological innovation and a strong artistic vision. Ang Lee has managed to make a deeply moving, engrossing work that will delight audiences as much as it will astonish them. We’re enormously proud to have this film for our Opening Night for the 50th NYFF.”
I have mixed feelings about the film. I’m a bit skeptical mainly because I liked the novel and am concerned about how it will translate onto the big screen. It seems like a very tough novel to adapt and I’m still curious as to how Lee will do it. That being said, I am a big fan of Ang Lee and do believe that the adaptation is in capable hands.
The 50th New York Film Festival runs from September 28th to October 14th. Life of Pi will hit theatres on November 21st.
What do you think? Are you looking forward to Life of Pi?
Source: Deadline
