BY PAULA SCHWARTZ

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The Film Society of Lincoln Center just announced that “Flight,” starring Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington, will be the closing night film of the upcoming 50th New York Film Festival. (The festival runs rom Sept. 28-Oct. 14) The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, will be making its world premiere at the festival.

Richard Peña, Selection Committee Chair & Program Director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center said in the announcement, "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.”

Newjerseynewsroom.com recently wrote of the movie that it was the least likely film you will see on a transatlantic flight. It’s an action thriller in which Mr. Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot, who miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every passenger on board. At first he’s acclaimed as a hero, and then the legal, moral and ethical aspects of his behavior before and after the accident are examined and become much more ambiguous than first meets the eye. In other words, it’s not the Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger story.

The cast includes John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, Bruce Greenwood and Kelly Reilly. Paramount Pictures will release the film November 2.

Rose Kuo, Executive Director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, said, “Robert Zemeckis has shown his diversity as a storyteller in comedies, dramas and has skillfully translated narratives into special effect environments. It is a pleasure to see him bring to life this complicated, tragic-comic portrait of a man in crisis, with an exceptional and poignant performance by Denzel Washington.”

General Public tickets gone on sale Sept. 9.