New York Film Festival to Include Two New Programs: Transmedia Weekend and Midnight Movies Section

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced that the 50th anniversary of its New York Film Festival will include two new programs: NYFF Convergence, a premier showcase and conference for transmedia projects, and a Midnight Movies section for horror, thriller and suspense films.

Premiering in the Midnight Movies section are: Barry Levinson's "The Bay" (produced by "Paranormal Activity" director Oren Peli); Peter Strickland's recently acquired "Berberian Sound Studio," about creating the soundtrack to a horror film; and writer-director-star Takeshi Kitano's Japanese gangster film "Outrage Beyond."

READ MORE: IFC Midnight Grabs U.S. Rights to Psychological Horror Flick 'Berberian Sound Studio'

The Convergence component of this year's NYFF was spearheaded by the FSLC's Director of Digital Strategy, former Indiewire Editor-in-Chief Eugene Hernandez, who explained the purpose of the Convergence program and what will make it unique: "The way stories are being told is changing, or rather expanding, thanks to new tools and technologies that allow storytellers to engage and involve an audience in new ways. With NYFF Convergence we're focusing expressly on those artists and filmmakers rather than the technology."

The inaugural Convergence event will include a keynote from Tommy Pallota, the producer behind the films "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly." Other events include a premiere of the film component of transmedia project "McCarren Park," named after the famed Williamsburg park, in which hipsters will fight off dinosaurs, and a screening of "Renga," a feature-length film in which the audience controls the "Space Invaders-like action." 

Convergence will also feature a TED-style TEDxUpperWestSide conference for players in the transmedia realm.

The full press release, inlcluing the complete lineup for NYFF Convergence and descriptions of the Midnight Movies films, is on the next page.