<i>Tarnation</i> and an Almodóvar tribute score slots at prestigious New York Film Festival (13479)

Boasting such legendary names as Ingmar Bergman, Jean-Luc Godard, Samuel Fuller, and Eric Rohmer, established auteurs like Mike Leigh and Todd Solondz, and up-and-comers like David Gordon Green and out director Jonathan Caouette, the New York Film Festival's lineup this year is a multigenerational affair where old masters and new talent will rub shoulders. The festival--which runs October 1-17 at Lincoln Center--has tapped four contemporary U.S. films for its main lineup: Caouette's Tarnation, Green's Undertow, Solondz's Palindromes, and Lodge Kerrigan's Keane. Of the group, the films by Kerrigan and Solondz do not yet have distribution. Palindromes, however, is getting a North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and buyers are sure to be circling north of the border. The film--another Solondz tale of an awkward, sensitive teen--will also compete for a Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Kerrigan's film was produced by Steven Soderbergh.

The experimental Tarnation was acquired by Wellspring at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and the indie banner now has another NYFF entry in Godard's Notre Musique. United Artists will roll out Undertow, Green's tale of two brothers trying to hide a family secret in the contemporary South. "I am very, very pleased that the American independents we have [this year] are the most textbook examples of what American independent cinema should be," said Richard Pena, chairman of the festival's selection committee. "I am always pleased to see American independent films that reclaim the roots of what made independent American cinema interesting in the first place."

Distributor Sony Pictures Classics already put a sizable mark on the fest this year when the NYFF's opening night and centerpiece films were announced: Both Agnes Jaoui's Look at Me and Pedro Almodovar's Bad Education are being released domestically by SPC. The company now has further reason to celebrate, because its Zhang Yimou-directed martial arts epic House of Flying Daggers and Bergman's Saraband have received the NYFF stamp of approval. Almodovar also will receive a special tribute at the NYFF, titled "Viva Pedro!" which will feature career clips, one-on-one conversation, and special guests.