FSLC Announces Woody Allen's WONDER WHEEL as Closing Night of NYFF55
By: Caryn Robbins Jul. 27, 2017
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces Woody Allen's WONDER WHEEL as the Closing Night selection of the 55th New York Film Festival (September 28 - October 15), making its World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Saturday, October 14. Amazon Studios will release Wonder Wheel on December 1, 2017, the first film the studio will distribute independently.
In a career spanning 50 years and almost as many features, Woody Allen has periodically refined, reinvented, and redefined the terms of his art, and that's exactly what he does with his daring new film. We're in Coney Island in the 1950s. A lifeguard (Justin Timberlake) tells us a story that just might be filtered through his vivid imagination: a middle-aged carousel operator (James Belushi) and his beleaguered wife (Kate Winslet), who eke out a living on the boardwalk, are visited by his estranged daughter (Juno Temple)-a situation from which layer upon layer of all-too-human COMPLICATIONS develop. Allen and his cinematographer, the great Vittorio Storaro, working with a remarkable cast led by Winslet in a startlingly brave, powerhouse performance, have created a bracing and truly surprising movie experience. New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones said, "I'm not quite sure what I expected when I sat down to watch Wonder Wheel, but when the lights came up I was speechless. There are elements in the film that will certainly be familiar to anyone who knows Woody Allen's work, but here he holds them up to a completely new light. I mean that literally and figuratively, because Allen and Vittorio Storaro use light and color in a way that is stunning in and of itself but also integral to the mounting emotional power of the film. And at the center of it all is Kate Winslet's absolutely remarkable performance-precious few actors are that talented, or fearless."The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.'s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come. The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from Shutterstock, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Support for the New York Film Festival is generously provided by Official Partner HBO®, Benefactor Partners Dolby, illy caffé, and The Village Voice, Hospitality Partners Loews Regency New York and RowNYC, and Supporting Partner Manhattan Portage. Deadline Hollywood, The Hollywood Reporter, WABC-7, and WNET New York Public Media serve as Media Sponsors. Image courtesy of Amazon Studios
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