Film at Lincoln Center has announced the world premiere of Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” as the Spotlight Gala selection for the 64th New York Film Festival. At the premiere presentation at Alice Tully Hall on September 26th, Yamazaki and members of the cast and crew will be in attendance. Presented by Film at Lincoln Center in partnership with Rolex, the 64th New York Film Festival will take place from September 25th through October 12th.
After “Godzilla Minus One’s” triumphant re-imagination of the timeless Godzilla franchise in 2023, with its ingenious, Oscar-winning visual effects and emotionally gripping back-to-basics storytelling approach, director Takashi Yamazaki returns with a supremely satisfying sequel. “Godzilla Minus Zero” picks up in 1949, two years after the tumultuous events of “Godzilla Minus One,” and continues the story of the Shikishima family as they face an all-new calamity. An experience that demands the big screen, featuring even more astounding effects choreography than its predecessor, “Godzilla Minus Zero” cranks up the terror while always keeping its post-WWII Japan narrative at human eye level. A GKIDS release.
“It is truly an honor to introduce our film to a global audience for the first time in a place of such history and prestige,”said director Yamazaki. “I am filled with both awe and excitement to see how far the power of Japan’s Godzilla can terrify audiences around the world, and whether they will resonate with what lies beyond that fear.”
“More than 70 years after the first Godzilla movie, Takashi Yamazaki continues to prove that there’s life in the old franchise yet, returning to its postwar roots to locate a haunting, primal terror,” said Dennis Lim, NYFF Artistic Director. “Like its predecessor, ‘Godzilla Minus Zero‘ is a throwback blockbuster, a showcase for human drama and innovative craft, and we are excited to have its world premiere as this year’s NYFF Spotlight Gala.”
Born in Matsumoto City in 1964, Takashi Yamazaki is a filmmaker and visual effects supervisor, considered one of Japan’s leading film directors. He became the first director since Stanley Kubrick to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for “Godzilla Minus One,” which is currently the third highest-grossing live-action foreign-language film in U.S. box office history. The film won eight Japan Academy Prizes, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. Yamazaki credits childhood viewings of “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” with influencing his career in special effects. After graduating from Asagaya College of Art and Design, he joined VFX house Shirogumi Inc. in 1986, working on SFX and digital compositing in films directed by Juzo Itami. He made his directorial debut with “Juvenile” (2000) and became a leading figure in visual expression and VFX in Japan. His film “Always: Sunset on Third Street” (2005) won 12 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, at the 29th Japan Academy Film Awards, and his films “The Eternal Zero” (2013) and “Stand by Me Doraemon” (2014) won Best Picture and eight other Japan Academy Prizes.
The NYFF Main Slate and Spotlight selection committee is chaired by Dennis Lim, NYFF Artistic Director, and includes Florence Almozini, Justin Chang, and Rachel Rosen.
Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival is an annual celebration of the most significant international films of the year. Since 1963, the New York Film Festival has played a vital role in shaping film culture, championing bold and remarkable works by both celebrated auteurs and emerging voices from around the world.
NYFF64 is generously supported by Festival Co-Chairs Susannah Gray and John Lyons, Susan and John Hess, Almudena and Pablo Legorreta, and Nanna and Dan Stern; Vice-Chairs Jack Heller, Tara Kelleher and Roy Zuckerberg, and Ronnie Planalp; and Supporters Kathy and Kris Heinzelman, Hillary Koota Krevlin and Glenn Krevlin, Marcia DB Levy and William G. Levy, Ari Rifkin, and Mary Solomon / GS Gives.
Get pre-sale access to “Godzilla Minus Zero” by becoming an FLC Member by August 28th (pre-sale dates vary by membership level) or purchasing a Bronze or Gold Pass. NYFF64 single tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 15th at noon ET. NYFF64 Press and Industry accreditation is now open through August 14th.
Sign up for forthcoming NYFF announcements, including Main Slate, Spotlight, Currents, Revivals, and Talks.
What do you think of this news? Are you excited to see “Godzilla Minus Zero?” What do you think? What else do you think will be announced for NYFF64? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
