5 Minutes
Julia Roberts crowns NYFF opening as one of her New York highlights
The New York Film Festival opened with a splash when Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt premiered at Alice Tully Hall — and Julia Roberts, one of the film’s commanding leads, called the occasion “a Top 3 great achievement of my New York life.” That declaration landed in a room bristling with cinephiles, critics and industry figures who have come to expect NYFF to be a barometer of serious, conversation-starting cinema.
Guadagnino, whose name is now synonymous with sumptuous visuals and emotionally heightened storytelling, praised the festival audience as “the best audience at festivals in the world.” The director’s gratitude reflected more than simple politeness: After its Venice world premiere, where it earned a six-minute standing ovation, the New York reception—while a shorter ovation—was warm, thoughtful and followed by a nearly 15-minute Q&A that kept the auditorium buzzing.
A cast in conversation
Onstage after the film, moderator Dennis Lim led a lively discussion with Guadagnino, Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg and screenwriter Nora Garrett. Moments from the Q&A offered behind-the-scenes color: Garfield admitted he winced remembering a scene in which he had to perform sexually aggressive behavior toward “National Treasure” Julia Roberts — footage shot in a single take that left him relieved when it was over. Such candor highlights the film’s fraught, challenging material and the actors’ commitment to it.
Sound, scores and festival tech upgrades
This NYFF screening also marked the first time Alice Tully Hall used Dolby Atmos for a festival presentation — a 120-speaker installation that Guadagnino and his sound collaborators put to good use. With a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, After the Hunt leans on sound to heighten tension and atmosphere; the new sound system amplified those choices, making the film’s audio landscape an essential part of the premiere experience. Amazon MGM Studios plans a limited theatrical release on October 10, with a wide opening the following week — a typical awards-season rollout that positions the film for both critical momentum and audience discovery.
Where it sits in Guadagnino’s filmography and festival culture
Comparisons to Guadagnino’s previous films are inevitable. Where Call Me by Your Name relied on languid longing and Suspiria (2018) embraced formal horror, After the Hunt channels the director’s taste for sensory detail into a sharper, more confrontational campus drama that engages with themes of cancel culture and institutional complicity. The film sits within a growing trend of layered, morally ambiguous dramas examining accountability in academic and artistic spaces.
Industry context also framed the night: the festival’s leadership changes were acknowledged onstage — Mariko Stern took her place as Lincoln Center’s CEO last fall and Daniel Battsek recently moved into executive leadership for Film at Lincoln Center. Battsek used his opening remarks to salute the festival lineup (107 features and shorts from 41 countries) and to remember Robert Redford and David Lynch, whose contributions to independent cinema were honored in the program.
For fans and festivalgoers, small details made the premiere memorable: the Venice ovation anecdote, the single-take scene Garfield mentioned, and the palpable audience engagement during the post-screening talk. Critics have already praised Roberts’s performance as one of the film’s anchors, and the combination of a provocative screenplay by Nora Garrett and Guadagnino’s meticulous direction suggests After the Hunt will provoke debate as much as acclaim.
"Guadagnino takes risks with tone and sound in ways that reward attentive viewers," says film critic Anna Kovacs. "This film is less about tidy answers and more about making the audience sit with discomfort — which is both its strength and its challenge."",
The NYFF premiere reinforced the festival’s role as a living, breathing forum for cinema — one where big names, new technology and tough conversations intersect in ways that keep the medium feeling vital.
Source: deadline
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