NYFF Wanted to Screen ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ But Apple Declined

We already know that TIFF and Telluride desperately tried to get Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but Apple Studios politely declined. Now we’re hearing that the New York Film Festival also made an attempt at nabbing Scorsese’s upcoming epic.

NYFF boss Dennis Lim tells NYT’s Manhola Dargis that the fest absolutely loved Scorsese’s film and that he made a real effort at nabbing a North American premiere for ‘Killers’ :

“’We loved the film and invited it immediately after seeing it in Cannes,’ Dennis Lim, the artistic director of the New York Film Festival, told me. Days before the festival announced its main slate in August, however, Apple, which is releasing the movie, said that it would not be participating.

As Lim noted, ‘Flower Moon’ wasn’t in any of the other major fall festivals, which help usher films into the new season and onto the long road to the Oscars. (Apple could not be reached for comment.) Whatever the reason, its absence is a shame, especially because this is the event that 50 years ago presented a little film titled “Mean Streets.”

Consider me bewildered by Apple’s lack of interest in promoting ‘Killers’ at the fall fests. They are solely going to rely on Cannes buzz from five months ago. That’s what it looks like. No Telluride, New York, or Toronto.

Of course the film will still be nominated for Oscars — Best Picture and Best Director noms are practically sealed. But why doesn’t Apple want to showcase what is truly a top-tier film? ‘Killers’ isn’t just a deeply penetrating drama, but it’s also a wildly entertaining one.

Most folks will likely get their first shot at seeing “Killers of the Flower Moon” on October 20th, that’s when it gets released worldwide in theaters. It’ll eventually make its way to Apple TV a few months after that.

NOTE: The New York Film Festival continues tonight with the North American premiere of Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro.”

I keep getting asked what films from the Main Slate I would recommend. Having already seen about 80% of the lineup, I’d say the essentials are “May December,” “Anatomy of A Fall,” “The Delinquents,” “Close Your Eyes,” “Last Summer,” “Poor Things,” “The Settlers,” “The Zone of Interest,” “About Dry Grasses,” “The Beast” and “Fallen Leaves.”