New York Film Festival

George Clooney debuted his girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, at the Closing Night of the 49th New York Film Festival Sunday night at Lincoln Center. Clooney stars in Alexander Payne's latest, "The Descendants," set in Hawaii, which received a nice response from the audience. Set in Hawaii, Clooney plays a land baron who attempts to forge a new relationship with his daughters after his wife suffers major injury following a boating accident. Clooney, Payne and the cast (including actresses Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller who do a fantastic job as Clooney's on screen daughters) headed to an after party at Stone Rose in the Time Warner Center off Columbus Circle (but didn't see that Keibler was in attendance though). [Photo by Godlis]

Following the NYC debut of her film "Martha Marcy May Marlene" at the New York Film Festival Tuesday night, star Elizabeth Olsen as well as director Sean Durkin and a 150 or so of their closest friends headed to the after party at the roof of the Empire Hotel near Lincoln Center, hosted by the Peggy Siegal Company. Olsen's famous sisters, Mary Kate and Ashley were there along with other celebs in the who's who including Parker Posey, members of Vampire Weekend and a host of others (Michael Moore was spotted in the audience). Olsen chatted up Ted Hope here well into the evening (he was an executive producer of the film). In the feature, Oslen stars as a young woman who undergoes an explosive crisis of identity after escaping the confines of a rural cult-like farming community. Trapped by unsettling flashes of memories from the past and visions of a perilous future, she becomes taken over by an unsettling sense of fear, leaving her consumed by paranoia and a mysterious burden of guilt. Fox Searchlight will release the film in limited release October 21st.

Filmmaker Sean Durkin and producers Antonio Campos & Josh Mond take in their party at the Empire Hotel near Lincoln Center following the NYC premiere of their film, "Martha Marcy May Marlene" at the New York Film Festival Tuesday night. The party, hosted by the Peggy Siegal Company, was abuzz with chatter about star Elizabeth Olsen's performance in the film, which Fox Searchlight will release in the U.S. beginning October 21st. Olsen plays a young woman who is confronted by her demons after escaping a rural cult. [Photo by Austin Dale]

The West Memphis 3: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley along with "Paradise Lost 3" co-directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky along with HBO’s Sheila Nevins following the New York Film Festival screening of "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" at Lincoln Center Monday evening. "I think they know exactly who did it and just don’t care," Echols said earlier that day. Check out iW's coverage of the WM3 at an HBO event earlier that day. [Photo by Godlis]

Martin Scorsese walked the red carpet at the New York Film Festival Tuesday night for the world premiere of his doc, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," a four-hour epic on the Beatles member. A colossus of stars Harrison knew, including Terry Gilliam, Sir Paul McCartney, Eric Idle, Jane Birkin, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty and even a few hilarious interviews with Phil Spector appear in the film produced by HBO Documentary. Also in the photo is George Harrison's wife, Olivia who provided a ton of great photos of Harrison and the Beatles including some cool home movie footage, which made it into the film. HBO hosted a very snazzy party near Lincoln Center after the packed screening. [Photo: Photo by Olga Bas for The New York Film Festival]

Looking fab at the New York Film Festival, actor Michael Fassbender and director David Cronenberg fete their film, "A Dangerous Method" this week. Fassbender is also attending the festival with "Shame," which has its U.S. debut Friday at NYFF. Read an interview with the actor about his two films here. [Photo by Julie Cunnah for The New York Film Festival]

Actress Kirsten Dunst received great buzz at the New York Film Festival Monday night for her performance in Lars von Trier's spectacular "Melancholia," which had its American debut at the 49th annual event. "She deserves a nomination" was heard more than once as the crowd left Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center where the film screened. Dunst as well as co-stars Alexander Skarsgård and Charlotte Gainsbourg headed to the Stone Rose Lounge for the after-party hosted by DeLeon Tequila where they worked the press line. Dunst is pictured here being interviewed by George Whipple from NY1.

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Alexander Skarsgård strike a lovely pose in front of the step and repeat following the U.S. premiere of director Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" Monday night at the New York Film Festival. Magnolia Pictures will open the film in the U.S. in November.

Film Society of Lincoln Center executive director Rose Kuo with Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker Friday night at the opening of the New York Film Festival. SPC's "Carnage," directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly opened the 49th annual fest with four screenings at Lincoln Center, followed by a swank party at the Harvard Club in a very rainy Midtown Manhattan.

One of the best films screening this weekend at New York Film Festival is Mexico's entry for Oscar Best Foreign Language contender, "Miss Bala," by director Gerardo Naranjo. The film, which is having its U.S. premiere at NYFF (it debuted in Cannes) is the story of a young woman (played amazingly by Stephanie Sigman) who aspires to be crowned Miss Baja California, but unfortunately becomes mixed up with a criminal gang. iW will host a free to the public discussion with Naranjo and Sigman on Sunday at the Film Center at Lincoln Center. Pictured here are Naranjo and Sigman this week. Check out iW's full schedule of New York Film Festival talks.

Filmmaker Abel Ferrara, the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Richard Peña and actress Shanyn Leigh earlier this week at the Walter Reade Theater in New York. Ferrara and Leigh's film, "4:44 Last Day on Earth" (also starring Willem Dafoe) about a couple living in a NYC Lower East Side apartment as they confront the final hours of earth's living existence will have its debut at the New York Film Festival, which begins Friday night.

Above FSCL's Richard Pena discusses (via Skype) the challenges of shooting amid the chaos of the Tahrir Square during the revolution in Egypt with "Tahrir" director Stefano Savona. The talk was part of one of the many press conferences at the Walter Reade Theater in New York, in anticipation of the upcoming New York Film Festival. The film is playing in the event's Special Events section. [Photo by John Wildman]

Andre Garfield and Justin Timberlake were on hand at the Walter Reade Theater Friday morning as their work in David Fincher's "The Social Network" was officially unveiled to the press at the New York Film Festival. Check out video from the entire press conference here.

Yesterday at the Walter Reade Theater on New York's Upper West Side, "Broken Embraces" director Pedro Almodovar and star Penelope Cruz sat down with members of the press to chat about their film, which closes the New York Film Festival Sunday night. indieWIRE will have a full report on the press conference and this weekend's "Broken" festivities Monday. [Photo by Peter Knegt/indieWIRE]

"Precious" star Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe was joined by director Julie Taymor and actress Jane Fonda at the New York premiere of Lee Daniels' heavily buzzed film. "Precious" screened as the New York Film Festival's Centerpiece Gala. It hits theaters November 6, 2009. [Photo courtesy of the New York Film Festival.]

"Vincere" director Marco Bellocchio (left) and "Ghost Town" director Zhao Dayong celebrate their films' screening at the 42nd New York Film Festival. [Image courtesy of the Film Society of Lincoln Center.]

Director Don Argott and producer Sheena M. Joyce join in for a mini-burgers and beer celebration after the screening of their doc "The Art of the Steal" at the New York Film Festival this week in Manhattan. Their film stirred the usually reserved NYFF audience with a very lively (and we're talking yelling, emotional back and forth sort of lively) Q&A at the Alice Tully Hall. Their film, which focuses on the very rich collection of post impressionist work of the Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania, brought up all sorts of conflicting points about the role of art, commerce and the accessibility of masterpieces. Maybe that explanation doesn't do it quite justice, but it made quite the splash Tuesday night. IFC Films will release the film through their Sundance Selects, so check it out for yourself!

French director Alain Resnais and Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker walk the red carpet Friday night for the opening of the New York Film Festival. Resnais' latest, "Wild Grass" (Les herbes folles) officially opened this year's 47th edition at the Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan's Upper West Side. This year, the after-party did not take place at the traditional venue, Tavern on the Green, which was a disappointment to some regulars, but the party in the new venue's large lobby was nonetheless nice. Reactions to the film were mixed, with some not liking it at all, while others were big fans.

Kodak hosted the closing night soiree for the 45th New York Film Festival along with Unifrance Sunday night in Midtown Manhattan. Lauded Cannes '07 feature "Persepolis" closed the venerable festival and the film's co-director (and inspiration) Marjane Satrapi (right) joined the party along with the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Richard Pena (middle) and Sony Classics' Dylan Leiner. Catherine Deneuve, who also lends her voice in the animated film, attended the party as well, though she did seem to make a hasty exit. But fans of the French legend did get a few Deneuve drive-byes as she darted around the event. She will soon travel to that big drive-by out West, Los Angeles, where she'll pick up an award at AFI Fest.