Tom McCarthy’s ‘A Statement’ to World Premiere at 64th New York Film Festival

The New York Film Festival has unveiled the complete Spotlight slate, which includes a Jonathan Glazer-directed documentary, “Joy of Joys,” and the world premiere of Tom McCarthy’s “A Statement.”

The slate also includes the Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord,” Jordan Firstman’s “Club Kid,” Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut,” and Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard,” the latter will follow its screenings in Venice Telluride, Toronto — it’s doing all four major fall festivals.

The Spotlight section was only recently created by NYFF to showcase films that didn’t make the prestigious Main Slate lineup. I wouldn’t put too much stock in reading these films as “not good enough” for Main Slate; they’re more likely just outside the selection committee’s more refined, auteur-driven tastes. That said, we should absolutely call Mungiu’s inclusion here a demotion: this is the first time he hasn’t cracked the Main Slate, and also the first time a Palme d’Or winner hasn’t made it in since 2015.

“A Statement” stars Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, and John Turturro. The film marks the return of McCarthy, a filmmaker we haven’t heard from in a while. It’s been five years since “Stillwater,” starring Matt Damon, premiered at Cannes to so-so reviews. McCarthy has since kept a low profile, seeing potential projects fall through, but he’s now back with this Sony Pictures Classics film.

Described as a “dramatic, darkly comic, true story,” the film chronicles the period when the climate change debate began to gain traction. Here’s the synopsis:

At a beachside resort in Florida in 1980, twenty experts gather for a weekend conference on a global issue that is starting to gain traction: the effects of CO₂ emissions on the climate. This group of scientists, activists, and policymakers have one simple mandate from Congress — write a statement about what to do. Easier said than done.

McCarthy, an actor-turned-director, of course helmed the 2015 Oscar winner “Spotlight,” and also directed three indie gems: “The Station Agent,” “The Visitor,” and “Win Win.” The lone missteps in his filmography remain “Stillwater” and the Adam Sandler-starring “The Cobbler.”

The 64th New York Film Festival runs from September 25–October 12. The complete Spotlight slate can be found below.

SPOTLIGHT SECTION: 

Godzilla Minus Zero (Takashi Yamazaki)
Bucking Fastard (Werner Herzog)
Club Kid (Jordan Firstman)
The Debut (Jesse Eisenberg)
Edward Said: Between Worlds (Maiken Baird)
Fjord (Cristian Mungiu)
Iron Boy (Louis Clichy)
Joy of Joys (Jonathan Glazer)
Making Marie Antoinette (Eleanor Coppola)
One More Time (Cindy Kleine and André Gregory)
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Noah Segan)
Sixteen Moments of My Life (Albert Serra)
A Statement (Tom McCarthy)