NYFF: The Best Movies and Performances at the 64th New York Film Festival

Well, it’s over, folks. Today, we can put a bow on the New York Film Festival for 2026. Moreover, that’s pretty much it for festivals this year for me, with one more exception, allowing me to really settle in with my own bed (though, yes, I sleep at home during NYFF). Listen, I’ve been very tired! Each year, NYFF puts on a classy and diverse show, with the 64th installment no exception. So, with the festival now in the books, it’s time to share with you all my final thoughts. As always, when a fest ends, we commemorate it by having me give out some awards/prizes, as well as a general sense of what it was like. Today, obviously, will be no exception!

Once again this year, I was lucky enough to see several of the higher profile NYFF titles at previous festivals. So, while the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival did some of the heavy lifting for me, there were plenty of big movies I still saw in the Big Apple. Those were highlighted by 14th, Artificial, Behemoth!, Godzilla Minus Zero, and Paper Tiger.

Below, you can see what I found to be the various NYFF highlights. I’ll include the top films and performances, as well as a full ranking from what I saw. Well, why don’t we get down to it now? Behold the best of the fest…

The Best Films

I’d already seen the likes of Club Kid, The Debut, Fjord, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, and Tender Loving Care at prior festivals, so lets put them aside. Still, I’d previously seen You Can See Everything and that’s the absolute best thing at NYFF this year, so that deserves at least a special shoutout. In terms of what debuted or I saw at the fest, Paper Tiger is tops, with Artificial, Godzilla Minus Zero, and NAZA next in line.

The Best Performances

I was taken with several performances during the festival, much like with the others this year (which I’ve documented when wrapping up Telluride and TIFF). For me, the best NYFF turns I saw were Adam Driver in Paper Tiger and Pedro Pascal in Behemoth!, alongside Rosalind Eleazar in Misty Green, as well as Yura Borisov and Andrew Garfield in Artificial, alongside Kate Mara and Rooney Mara next in line for Bucking Fastard.

NYFF Awards

Best Film: You Can See Everything (Runner Up: The Debut and Paper Tiger)

Best Director: James Gray for Paper Tiger (Runner Up: Jesse Eisenberg for The Debut and Nathan Fielder and Noah Oppenheim for You Can See Everything)

Best Actor: John Turturro for The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Runner Up: Jordan Firstman for Club Kid and Pedro Pascal for Behemoth!)

Best Actress: Julianne Moore for The Debut (Runner Up: Rosalind Eleazar for Misty Green and Kate Mara/Rooney Mara for Bucking Fastard)

Best Supporting Actor: Adam Driver for Paper Tiger (Runner Up: Andrew Garfield for Artificial and Paul Giamatti for The Debut)

Best Supporting Actress: Kate O’Flynn for Tender Loving Care (Runner Up: Alice Bailey Johnson for Tender Loving Care and Scarlett Johansson for Paper Tiger)

Best Screenplay: Paper Tiger (Runner Up: Club Kid and The Debut)

Full NYFF Ranking