Film at Lincoln Center announced that the 59th New York Film Festival (NYFF) will take place from September 24 until October 10, 2021. Produced by Film at Lincoln Center, the 59th edition will run 17 days with a hybrid of in-person and virtual screenings.

Submissions for the festival will be accepted via FilmFreeway from April 21 through May 24. While the festival is open to films of any length, only short films (40 minutes or less) are accepted through FilmFreeway.

In 2020, organizers unveiled a reimagined festival structure under the leadership of new NYFF Director Eugene Hernandez and NYFF Director of Programming Dennis Lim. The festival’s offerings were streamlined into five sections: Main Slate, Currents, Spotlight, Revivals, and Talks.