Film at Lincoln Center has announced Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer“ as the Spotlight Gala of the 62nd New York Film Festival, making its U.S. Premiere on October 6th. The adaptation of William S. Burroughs’s novel, scripted by Justin Kuritzkes, stars Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzman, Lesley Manville, Michael Borremans, Andra Ursuta, and David Lowery. NYFF62 single tickets for the general public go on sale September 17th at noon ET, with pre-sale access for FLC Members.
Written in the early 1950s yet not published until 1985, William S. Burroughs’s “Queer“ has come to be considered a canonical work in the career of the Beat Generation author and a cornerstone of transgressive gay literature. In his wildly ambitious adaptation, Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name,“ NYFF55) expertly evokes the book’s post–World War II time period and cinematically translates Burroughs’s iconoclasm with panache. In a transformative role, Daniel Craig immerses himself into Burroughs’s alter ego, William Lee, a habitual heroin user luxuriating in freedom and desiccation among a disconnected group of gay American expatriates in Mexico City in the late 1940s. When enigmatic, preppy ex-military kid Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) catches Lee’s eye, he swoons into a headlong love affair, commencing an odyssey that will take them all the way to the Ecuadorian jungle in pursuit of the ultimate high. Buoyed by go-for-broke performances from Craig and Starkey, and rollicking, unexpected supporting turns from Lesley Manville and Jason Schwartzman, “Queer“ is a dazzling showcase for many in Guadagnino’s stable of collaborators, including “Challengers” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, and music composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It’s a film that finds Guadagnino in his most formidable, gutsiest mode yet, a universal love story featuring expressionistic flights of fancy, gratifying moments of psychedelic surrealism, and surprising tenderness.
“Queer” is a Fremantle film produced by The Apartment, a Fremantle company, and Frenesy film company; produced by Fremantle North America in collaboration with Cinecittà Spa and Frame by Frame.
“I am so privileged and elated to present a movie of mine for the third time at NYFF, Queer in particular,” said Guadagnino. “It is a very personal movie about the inescapable quest for being recognized in the gaze of another through the lens of the great William Burroughs.”
“Luca Guadagnino is one of contemporary cinema’s most versatile filmmakers, and one of its biggest risk-takers,” said Dennis Lim, Artistic Director, New York Film Festival. “Queer is his most fearless, inventive, and surprising film, one that brings its subcultural world to brilliant life and creates the role of a lifetime for a tremendous Daniel Craig.”
Luca Guadagnino was born in Palermo, Italy, on August 10th, 1971. He is a director, screenwriter, and producer of several films, including “I Am Love,” “A Bigger Splash,” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Suspiria,” “Bones And All,” and “Challengers.” FLC has celebrated several of the acclaimed director’s films: I Am Love was selected for the 39th New Directors/New Films, and NYFF selections include “Call Me by Your Name” (NYFF55), which won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and “Bones And All” (NYFF60), winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
You can see the 2024 New York Film Festival Main Slate here. Spotlight, Currents, Revivals, and Talks sections will be announced soon––sign up for NYFF updates for the latest news. The NYFF Main Slate and Spotlight Selection Committee is chaired by Dennis Lim, NYFF Artistic Director, and includes Florence Almozini, Justin Chang, K. Austin Collins, and Rachel Rosen.
Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival is an annual showcase of the best in world cinema. Since 1963, NYFF has shaped film culture and continues an enduring tradition of introducing audiences to bold and remarkable works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The 62nd edition of the festival takes place September 27th–October 14th, 2024.
“Queer” tickets will go on sale to the General Public on Tuesday, September 17th at noon ET, with pre-sale access for FLC Members prior to this date. Become an FLC Member by August 13th to secure NYFF62 pre-sale access and discounted tickets year-round. NYFF62 press and industry accreditation is now open through August 19th.
What do you think of this announcement? Are you looking forward to seeing “Queer?” What else do you think will be announced for Spotlight section? Are you planning on attending this year’s New York Film Festival? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
