A scene from writer-director Elegance Bratton’s drama, ‘The Inspection,’ which will serve as the Closing Night selection of the 60th New York Film Festival.

Film at Lincoln Center has announced that the upcoming drama, ‘The Inspection,’ will serve as the Closing Night selection of the 60th New York Film Festival. The movie, which was written and directed by Elegance Bratton and will be released by A24, will make its U.S. premiere on Friday, October 14 at Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan.

Known for penning, helming and producing the 2019 documentary, ‘Pier Kids,’ which chronicles the lives of homeless queer and transgender youth in New York, and the Viceland series ‘My House,’ which documents underground competitive ballroom dancing, Bratton has made his narrative feature film debut with ‘The Inspection.’ The drama is based on his own experiences as a gay man in Marine Corps basic training following a decade of living on the streets.

In his first cinematic starring role, Tony– and Emmy–nominated actor Jeremy Pope plays Ellis French, a young man dealing with the intimidation of his sadistic sergeant, Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine); his desire for his sympathetic superior, Laurence Harvey (Raúl Castillo); and his complicated feelings toward his mother, Inez, who rejected him (Gabrielle Union).

“I’m incredibly humbled that my debut feature film will close the New York Film Festival this year,” Bratton said. “So many of my favorite filmmakers have made an impact as a part of this illustrious program. I’m overwhelmed to be a part of it. And as a New Yorker, this is a dream come true.”

“Festival galas are often occasions to celebrate filmmakers we know and love, but for this year’s closing night, we wanted to introduce audiences to someone we think will be shaping the art form for years to come,” said Dennis Lim, the artistic director of the New York Film Festival. “With ‘The Inspection,’ Elegance Bratton has made an autobiographical movie of rare power and confidence, a debut film for the ages.”

The New York Film Festival Main Slate selection committee, chaired by Lim, also includes Eugene Hernandez, Florence Almozini, K. Austin Collins and Rachel Rosen.

As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, the New York Film Festival will offer festival screenings in all five boroughs of New York City in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Staten Island), BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) (Brooklyn), the Bronx Museum of the Arts (Bronx), Maysles Documentary Center (Harlem) and the Museum of the Moving Image (Queens). Each venue will present a selection of movies throughout the festival.

A complete list of films and showtimes will be announced later this month. Tickets, including those for partner venue screenings, will go on sale to the general public on September 19 at noon.

Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema and will take place September 30–October 16, 2022. An annual celebration of the state of cinema that has shaped film culture since 1963, the festival continues an enduring tradition of introducing audiences to bold and remarkable works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent.

By Karen Benardello

As a graduate of LIU Post with a B.F.A in Journalism, Print and Electronic, Karen Benardello serves as ShockYa's Senior Movies & Television Editor. Her duties include interviewing filmmakers and musicians, and scribing movie, television and music reviews and news articles. As a New York City-area based journalist, she's a member of the guilds, New York Film Critics Online and the Women Film Critics Circle.

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