Robert Zemeckis' FLIGHT Will Close the 50th Annual New York Film Festival

Flight, the action-packed mystery thriller from Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis, the director of Forrest Gump and Cast Away, stars Academy Awarding actor Denzel Washington and hits theaters this November.

Denzel Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault, and what really happened on that plane?

With the 50th New York Film Festival just 50 days away, the Film Society of Lincoln Center has made the first major announcement about the festival’s highly anticipated lineup: the festival will close with Flight by Robert Zemeckis. The director’s long-awaited return to live-action filmmaking (since Cast Away 12 years ago) will make its World Premiere on October 14 at Alice Tully Hall.

"We're delighted to welcome Robert Zemeckis to the New York Film Festival for the first time. A director equally known for delighting audiences as well as for pushing the technological limits of filmmaking, Zemeckis has created with Flight a remarkable film about one man's journey to some of the darkest parts of his soul." —Richard Peña, NYFF Selection Committee Chair & Film Society Program Director

More announcements about the program of the 50th New York Film Festival, which takes place from September 28 – October 14 at Lincoln Center, are just around the corner. Tickets to NYFF will go on sale to the General Public on Sunday, September 9. Film Society Members and Patrons will receive a pre-sale period prior to this date.

Flight is directed by Robert Zemeckis of a screenplay by John Gatins. The film stars Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Don Cheadle and Melissa Leo and is scheduled for theatrical release November 2nd, 2012.