NY Film Festival a four-star event

The New York Film Festival kicks off its 50th annual edition Friday, showcasing top-of-the-line premieres, important talent and movies drawn from across the globe.

The 2012 fest, which runs through Oct. 14, is set to add to the NYFF's impressive half-century legacy.

Beginning with Friday night's world premiere of Ang Lee's heavily anticipated "Life of Pi," the event offers audiences the chance to take a sneak peek at "Not Fade Away," the new movie from "Sopranos" creator David Chase and star James Gandolfini; "Hyde Park on the Hudson," starring Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and 30 other main slate features.

Denzel Washington and Nicole Kidman are among the A-listers expected to attend the festival.

When it comes to serious movie cachet, the NYFF is second to none.

Past editions of the Lincoln Center-housed fest have offered NYC audiences first looks at classics like "The Big Chill," "Pulp Fiction" and "The Social Network." The Coen Brothers and Martin Scorsese, among countless others, were introduced to New York moviegoers at the festival.

"The New York Film Festival, as much as any institution in the United States, has really created a sense of film culture," said longtime program director Richard Peña. "The festival has always stood for excellence across a broad range of cinema."

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer seconded Peña, touting "the central role this festival has come to play in New York's creative life."

The curtain raises on this year's fest at a time of transition for the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Peña is leaving after 25 years at the programming helm of the organization. He'll be replaced by a duo.

Further, the 2012 edition marks the second year that organizers will make use of the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, which opened last year across West 65th Street from Alice Tully Hall and the Walter Reade Theater, the NYFF's longtime venues.

That means an expanded program, including a midnight movie slate, a sidebar of documentaries about movies and moviemakers and more. These are significant changes for a fest that has prided itself on exclusivity and stability, keeping its main slate of features in the range of 30 movies when festivals like Tribeca reach around 100, and having been shaped by Peña since 1988.

While Film Society executive director Rose Kuo anticipates an uptick over the 60,000 tickets sold in 2011, and the organization is launching a partnership with area restaurants to offer discounts for members attending the fest, the NYFF isn't about bottom-line business.

The movies are king.

"The strength of N.Y., and what should stay at its core, is cinema lovers with great taste telling a very significant audience, 'These movies need your attention,' " said David Poland, editor of Movie City News. "If 75% of the films really do deserve your attention, the NYFF has done a great, great service to its audience and to the ongoing love of film in the world."