Roman Polanski's 'Carnage' to open New York Film Festival

Potential Oscar contender stars Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz

By Dave Lewis Friday, Jul 29, 2011 4:14 PM

'Carnage'

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Roman Polanski's "Carnage," starring Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly, will be opening this fall's prestigious New York Film Festival.

Although it won't be the world premiere for "Carnage" (it's screening at the Venice Film Festival first), it makes sense that NYFF chose the film for its opening gala, as "Carnage" is based on Yasmina Reza's 2009 Tony-winning play "God of Carnage," about two Brooklyn couples who meet up to talk things through after their children get into a nasty schoolyard fight.

With a cast including of Oscar-winners Foster ("The Silence of the Lambs"), Winslet ("The Reader") and Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds") and an Oscar-winning director (Polanski won for 2002's "The Pianist"), "Carnage" is sure to draw some attention in the this fall's awards race.

"We are delighted to kick off the festival with a quintessential New York story featuring superb performances from a quartet of the finest actors working today," said The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Rose Kuo in a release. "The film will certainly provoke the kind of discussions about contemporary issues that guarantee a memorable night."

Polanski has a long history with the festival, dating back to his 1963 debut "Knife in the Water," which screened at the fest's first annual event.

The 49th annual festival runs September 30 – October 16. General Public tickets will be available September 12th. More information can be found here.

Dave Lewis
Producer

Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.