NYFF 58 opens on September 25 with Steve McQueen's `Lovers Rock`

Azazel Jacobs' `French Exit` starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges and Tracy Letts as the voice of a house cat will make its world premiere as the closing night film of the 58th New York Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center announced Tuesday.

Pfeiffer stars in `French Exit` as Frances Price, an imperious, widowed New York socialite whose once-extreme wealth has dwindled down to a nub. Facing insolvency, she makes the decision to escape the city by cruise ship and relocate to her friend's empty Paris apartment with her dyspeptic son, Malcolm (Hedges), and their mercurial cat, Small Frank (voiced by Letts). There, Frances and Malcolm reckon with their pasts and plan for an impossible future, all while their social circle expands in unexpected and increasingly absurdist ways.

Sony Pictures Classics is releasing the film that's based on a novel by Patrick DeWitt, who also wrote the screenplay. Film at Lincoln Center describes `French Exit` as a `rare American film of genuine eccentricity` and that features a `bewitching` and `brilliant performance of stylish severity` by Pfeiffer.

Jacobs most recently directed episodes of `Sorry For Your Loss` and `Mozart in the Jungle,` and his last feature was 2017's `The Lovers` starring Debra Winger and Letts.

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Azazel Jacobs' #FrenchExit - starring Michelle Pfeiffer alongside Lucas Hedges and Tracy Letts - will make its world premiere as the closing night selection of NYFF this year. The film is a big screen take on Patrick DeWitt's novel of the same name - learn more about it at the link in our bio.⁠ --⁠ #azazeljacobs #michellepfeiffer #lucashedges #tracyletts #NYFF #film

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NYFF 58 kicks off on September 25 with opening night film `Lovers Rock,` one of five films from Steve McQueen as part of his `Small Axe` anthology, two more of which are also playing at the festival. The full main slate for the New York Film Festival will be announced in the coming weeks.