With just a couple of days ahead, the 54th New York Film Festival has added Jackie, the upcoming Pablo Larraín (No) bio starring Oscar winner Natalie Portman, to their line-up. The film, which will make its U.S. premiere at the venerable film festival, will screen as a special presentation on Thursday, October 13th. Coincidentally, NYFF will also screen Larraín’s second 2016 film, the bio Neruda.
The film, written by Noah Oppenheim, centers on former First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the direct aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Portman stars alongside Greta Gerwig (Mistress America), Peter Sarsgasrd (The Magnificent Seven), Billy Crudup (Spotlight) and John Hurt (Snowpiercer). The films Larraín’s English-language debut.
Jackie made its world premiere a few weeks back at the Venice Film Festival, where the film played in competition to much acclaim and picked up the Screenplay prize from a jury headed by filmmaker Sam Mendes. That was followed by further warm notices from critics and festivalgoers at the recently concluded Toronto Film Festival, where the film received the Platform Prize. More importantly, Fox Searchlight picked up the following its TIFF premiere and is planing on awards run on the title, particularly for Portman’s performance.
Jackie will open in theaters, beginning with limited engagements, on December 2nd (coincidentally Neruda opens two weeks later). The 54th New York Film Festival runs from September 30th-October 16th. NYFF will open with Ava DuVernay’s documentary The 13th and close with James Gray’s The Lost City of Z.