The New York Film Festival will open with the World Premiere of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi on Friday, September 28.
“I am both delighted and honored to be back at the New York Film Festival with Life of Pi,” Ang Lee said in a statement today. “I have the deepest respect for Richard Peña and his team and to be selected by them as the Opening Night film for the 50th Anniversary is extremely gratifying. I am also excited because this is my hometown, and to be unveiling this film that I am so proud of here is a real pleasure.”
The story of young man who survives a disaster at sea, Life of Pi is based on Yann Martel’s bestselling novel of the same name. Long considered an un-filmable book, Life of Pi takes place over three continents, two oceans and many years. Lee has employed breakthrough technology and his distinctive visual style in order to tell this epic story. While marooned on a lifeboat, the young man at the center of Life of Pi forms an unexpected bond with the other survivor, a Bengal tiger.
Ang Lee’s Life of Pi will be released in theaters on November 21, 2012.
The 50th New York Film Festival will close on Sunday, October 14th with the world premiere of Robert Zemeckis’ Flight.