The screening on September 29 at Alice Tully Hall will mark the American premiere of the drama, which debuted in May at Cannes Fest.

“May December is a tour de force of writing, acting, and directing: a film built on moment-to-moment surprise, as thought-provoking as it is purely pleasurable,” NYFF director Dennis Lim said in a statement.

“It cements Todd Haynes’ place as one of American cinema’s most brilliant mischief-makers and as an all-time great director of actors. Todd has been a consistent presence at the New York Film Festival for almost his entire career, and we are very excited to open this edition with one of his most dazzling achievements.”

May December stars Oscar winner Natalie Portman as Elizabeth, an actress set to play a Mary Kay Letourneau figure named Gracie in an upcoming film.

Elizabeth travels to Georgia to study the real life Gracie, played by Oscar winner Julianne Moore, now married to Joe (Charles Melton), the man she started a sexual relationship with with when he was just a child. Despite their past, Gracie and Joe have constructed a pleasant suburban existence for themselves with their children, but the presence of Elizabeth unsettles that serenity.

Both leads do great work with characters who constantly reveal different sides of themselves.

May December landed in Cannes in 2022 as a sales title and exited with a deal from Netflix, which will release it in limited number of  theaters on November 17, before streaming on December 1.

The 61st New York Film Fest runs Sep 29-Oct 15.