Parallel Mothers to close NYFF

Festival continues to celebrate Pedro Almodóvar

by Anne-Katrin Titze

Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit, is the Closing Night selection of the 59th New York Film Festival
Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit, is the Closing Night selection of the 59th New York Film Festival Photo: Iglesias Más

Film at Lincoln Center has announced today that Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, starring Penélope Cruz and newcomer Milena Smit will be the Closing Night selection of the 59th New York Film Festival. Parallel Mothers joins the previously announced Opening Night and Centerpiece selections, Joel Coen’s The Tragedy Of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, and Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog, starring Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Pedro Almodóvar: "After more than 30 years, the NYFF has become my second home. It is the best reason to visit New York and to see the best films of the year."
Pedro Almodóvar: "After more than 30 years, the NYFF has become my second home. It is the best reason to visit New York and to see the best films of the year." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

From Film at Lincoln Center: “Penélope Cruz’s Janis is a uniquely complex, flawed, but ultimately alluring lead character, who finds herself in a morally and emotionally treacherous situation. She’s viewed in contrast with Ana, radiantly portrayed by newcomer Milena Smit, a discovery who brings a palpable innocence, pain, and longing to this interwoven portrait of women and motherhood.”

“Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s long relationship with the New York Film Festival spans more than three decades and a dozen films,” said New York Film Festival Director Eugene Hernandez. “He returns this year with Parallel Mothers, a stirring and somber exploration of secrets and hidden histories—those sometimes found in families and often buried by societies—and how those skeletons can shape the course of individual lives and entire cultures. We’re thrilled to have Pedro back at NYFF to conclude this 59th edition!”

“It is always a privilege and an honor to feel that I am part of the most significant films of the season,” said director Pedro Almodóvar. “After more than 30 years, the NYFF has become my second home. It is the best reason to visit New York and to see the best films of the year.”

The NYFF Main Slate selection committee, chaired by Dennis Lim, also includes Eugene Hernandez, Florence Almozini, K Austin Collins and Rachel Rosen.

Parallel Mothers will screen at Alice Tully Hall on October 8.

Sony Pictures Classics will release Parallel Mothers in cinemas in the US on December 24.

The 2021 New York Film Festival runs from September 24 through October 10, 2020

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