Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ to premiere at New York Film Fest

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This image released by Netflix shows Joe Pesci (left), and Robert De Niro in a scene from ‘The Irishman’. The film will make its world premiere at opening night of the New York Film Festival on Sept 27. (AP)

Breslin joins Damon in ‘Stillwater’

NEW YORK, July 30, (Agencies): Martin Scorsese’s big-budget mafia epic “The Irishman” will premiere as the opening night film at the 57th New York Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center announced Monday.

The selection, with the premiere set for Sept 27, gives Scorsese a hometown launch for one of his most anticipated films. “The Irishman” is Scorsese’s $125 million Netflix film about the reflections of a former Jimmy Hoffa associate and hit man. Its genre and cast – including Robert De Niro as Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino – have long tantalized fans of the 76-year-old filmmaker.

“It’s in the milieu of the pictures we’ve done together and are known for, in a sense, but I hope from a different vantage point,” Scorsese said earlier this year at a Tribeca Film Festival event. “Years have gone by and we see things in a special way, I hope.”

New York Film Festival Director Kent Jones, a frequent collaborator with Scorsese, said in a statement that “The Irishman” is “the work of masters, made with a command of the art of cinema that I’ve seen very rarely in my lifetime, and it plays out at a level of subtlety and human intimacy that truly stunned me.”

Netflix is planning a robust awards season push for “The Irishman”, including a not-yet-dated release in select theaters later this year. How widely Netflix will release it remains to be seen; major theater chains have thus far refused to play films that don’t adhere to a traditional exclusive theatrical release window of 90 days. Netflix has said holding movies back from its streaming service doesn’t serve its subscribers.

In an interview with The Associated Press in June, Scorsese said Netflix was the only one willing to bankroll the ambitious film, based on Charles Brandt’s “I Heard You Paint Houses”.

“No one else did. No one else did,” said Scorsese, who also turned to Netflix for his Bob Dylan documentary “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese”. ‘’We decided to make it with the understanding that it’ll maybe never be shown in theaters. They said, ‘You would have a time in theaters’ – a few weeks or whatever. I said fine. The idea was to make the movie, you see.”

Scorsese has also lamented the major studios’ reliance on blockbusters. “I don’t do those,” said Scorsese. “There’s only so much time in your life. I need to make these movies. I just need to. So where do I go?”

The filmmaker on Monday said he was grateful for the New York Film Festival selection (his first as the opening night film) and praised the festival as “critical to bringing awareness to cinema from around the world.”

The New York Film Festival runs Sept 27 through Oct 13.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: Abigail Breslin will star alongside Matt Damon in the upcoming movie “Stillwater”, which will be directed by Tom McCarthy.

Participant Media acquired the project after Damon boarded the movie in May. Participant previously worked with McCarthy on his Oscar-winning drama “Spotlight”.

“Stillwater” follows an American oil-rig rough neck from Oklahoma, played by Damon, who travels to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter who is in prison for a murder she claims she did not commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system, Bill makes it his personal mission to exonerate his daughter (Breslin). In the process, he develops a friendship with a local woman and her young daughter and embarks on a personal journey of discovery and a larger sense of belonging in the world.

“Stillwater” will be produced in association with Participant Media, alongside Anonymous Content, Liza Chasin, Jonathan King, Tom McCarthy and the late Steve Golin.

Jeff Skoll and Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda will serve as executive producer. McCarthy co-wrote the script with Thomas Bidegain and Noe Debre. Production is set to start sometime next month.

Participant will produce and finance the movie through Amblin Partners. Stillwater is planned for release through Participant’s output arrangements via Amblin Partners. Focus Features will distribute domestically and Universal Pictures International will distribute in select international territories.

The “Little Miss Sunshine” star is set to reprise her role as Little Rock in Sony’s “Zombieland: Double Tap”, a sequel to the 2009 hit.

Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg and Emma Stone are returning for the follow-up, which debuts Oct 18.

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