Ang Lee’s 3-D, high-frame rate drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk will premiere at the New York Film Festival.
Lincoln Center’s Film Society announced the selection on Monday, giving a festival landing spot to one of autumn’s most distinct releases. Lee also premiered his previous film, the 3-D Life of Pi, at the New York Film Festival in 2012.
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, adapted from Ben Fountain’s novel, is about an American war hero being celebrated on a victory tour at an NFL game. Lee shot it with a 120-frame rate, far faster than the usual 24 frames per second. To mixed reviews, Peter Jackson experimented with a 48-frame rate in The Hobbit trilogy.
Lee said the film, told almost entirely from the perspective of Billy (played by newcomer Joe Alwyn), lent itself to the “emotion and intensity” fostered by the new technology.
“With each film, I try to learn fresh ways to connect with the audience and with myself,” said Lee in a statement. “Since Life of Pi, I have been working with my team toward a new cinematic approach that I hope will revitalise that connection.”
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk will debut on October 14 at the festival, ahead of its November 11 release from Sony Pictures.
The 54th New York Film Festival runs from September 30 through October 16.
