From the "On The Scene" Archives:

Anthony Kaufman

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has confimed the lineup for the 37th New York Film Festival. After opening with Cannes critics' favorite, Pedro Almodovar's "All About My Mother," the Festival gets under way on September 24 with a collection of highly anticipated international films. Harmony Korine's digitally shot Dogma 95 entry "Julien Donkey Boy" will bow in New York after its world debut in Venice. As will Mike Leigh's Festival Centerpiece "Topsy Turvy," a biopic about British composers Gilbert and Sullivan, to be released this fall by USA Films. The distributor formerly known as October Films will also unveil music video director Spike Jonze's first film "Being John Malkovich," which will also show at Venice. Other domestic highlights include Kevin Smith's religious comedy "Dogma," Kim Pierce's fictionalized version of the Brendan Teena Story, Fox Searchlight's "Boys Don't Cry" (formerly titled "Take It Like A Man") and Robinson Devor's "The Woman Chaser."

Hailing from Australia is Jane Campion's "Holy Smoke," to be released by Miramax in the fall. Among foreign entries in this year's fest are three Belgian films, including Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Rosetta" from brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne ("La Promesse"), Thierry Michel's "Mobutu, King of Zaire" and Benoät Mariage's Cannes entry, "The Carriers are Waiting." Additional international selections include Youssef Chahine's "The Other," (Egypt), Majid Majidi's "The Color of Heaven" (Iran), Nikolaus Geyrhalter's "Pripyat" (Austria), LÚa Pool's "Emporte-Moi" (Canada), Aki KaurismÉki's "Juha" (Finland), and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "License to Live" (Japan).

French films will also have a strong showing at this year's fest, including several from last May's Cannes line-up: Leos Carax's roundly panned "Pola X," Raþl Ruiz's epic adaptation of Marcel Proust's novel "Remembrance of Things Past," "Time Regained," Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira's "The Letter," and Jean-Marie Straub and Dani¶le Huillet's "Sicilia!" Also "Nanette and Boni" director Claire Denis will premiere her latest film, "Le Beau Travail," and Pascal Bonitzer will screen "Rien Sur Robert."

Closing the festival on October 10th is Toronto festival opener, "Felicia's Journey" directed by long time New York festival favorite, Atom Egoyan. Special programs include a revival of Michael Powell's 1937 film "The Edge of the World," Paul Leni's 1928 silent film "The Man Who Laughs," a five-hour version of Emir Kusturica's "Underground,"Miramax's dubbed release of the Japanese animated blockbuster, "Princess Mononoke," "Shoah" director Claude Lanzmann's documentary "A Visitor From the Living," a retrospective of Italian filmmaker Pietro Germi and the often neglected Visions from the Avant Garde section, will include premieres by Craig Baldwin, Guy Maddin, and a retrospective of Robert Beaver's work.