James Gray’s ‘Paper Tiger’ With Adam Driver & Scarlett Johansson Set as NY Film Festival Opener

James Gray’s crime thriller Paper Tiger will open the 64th New York Film Festival on September 25. The film, starring Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson, will make its North American premiere at the festival’s gala event at Alice Tully Hall.

Film at Lincoln Center, the festival’s parent organization, announced the selection. Gray and members of the cast and crew are expected to attend the premiere.

What is 'Paper Tiger' about?

The film is set in 1986 Queens and Brooklyn. It follows two brothers, Irwin (Miles Teller) and Gary Pearl (Adam Driver). Irwin, an engineer and family man, is pulled into a dangerous scheme by his brother, a former NYPD cop. The situation endangers Irwin’s wife Hester (Scarlett Johansson) and their children.

Paper Tiger premiered in competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it received a strong critical reception.

What did James Gray say about the selection?

In a statement, the director expressed his gratitude. “I’m immensely grateful to be welcomed back to this remarkable festival,” Gray said. “This deeply personal film is rooted in New York City; from my upbringing to life-changing family experiences. To be here, at the heart of art and cinema, with our cast and crew—many of whom are New Yorkers—is a privilege.”

NYFF Artistic Director Dennis Lim also praised the film, calling it “a movie of immense emotional power, at once lovingly realistic and grandly mythic.”

When will 'Paper Tiger' be in theaters?

Following its festival debut, distributor Neon is planning a theatrical release for the film on November 13.

This selection marks Gray’s fourth film to screen at the New York Film Festival, following The Immigrant (2013), The Lost City of Z (2016), and Armageddon Time (2022). It is the first time one of his films will open the event. The 64th New York Film Festival runs from September 25 through October 12.

Sources