‘The Power of the Dog’ Chosen As New York Film Festival Centerpiece

The upcoming 59th Annual New York Film Festival is scheduled to commence on September 24th and will continue running through to October 10th of 2021. While there are plenty of films that’ll premiere at the festival, we didn’t know until today what the centerpiece selection would be.

Now we know that it will be Jane Campion‘s The Power of the Dog which features an ensemble cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Thomasin McKenzie, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Frances Conroy, Peter Carroll, and Adam Beach just to name a few.

Campion’s film will debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on October 1. The New York slot will follow the film’s world premiere in Venice, which was confirmed Monday.

The film is set in 20th-century Montana and follows a sadistic ranch owner who launches a campaign against a young widow when she unexpectedly marries his brother and comes to live on the ranch.

“I am very honored that The Power of the Dog has been selected as the Centerpiece Gala at this year’s New York Film Festival,” said director Jane Campion. “Public screenings we long took for granted feel exceptional now, so it is going to be a very emotional and joyous experience for me and my team to be there and present the film to such a film-celebrating audience.”

The 59th Annual Film Festival will begin on September 24th with Joel Coen‘s The Tragedy of Macbeth.