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Scarlett Johansson Brings Understated Glam to the ‘Paper Tiger’ New York Premiere

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Few festival slots carry as much prestige as opening night at the New York Film Festival, and this year the honor went to James Gray’s latest crime drama. For Scarlett Johansson, the ‘Paper Tiger’ premiere marked a long-awaited chance to celebrate the film on the red carpet after missing its splashy debut earlier this year.

‘Paper Tiger’ first premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d’Or. Johansson couldn’t attend that screening because she was busy filming Mike Flanagan’s new take on ‘The Exorcist’, though Gray reportedly tried to call her during the standing ovation.

Now, Johansson has finally had her moment. The actress joined her co-stars Adam Driver and Miles Teller on September 25 as ‘Paper Tiger’ opened the 64th New York Film Festival with its North American premiere.

For the occasion, Johansson opted for a sleek, minimalist look. She wore a sleeveless charcoal-gray sheath dress with a high boat neckline and a fitted knee-length silhouette, paired with strappy metallic sandals.

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Her blonde hair was styled in soft, tousled waves just above her shoulders, and she finished the look with sparkling drop earrings and a bold red lip. Posing in front of the festival’s green Film at Lincoln Center backdrop, she looked effortlessly polished, and fans online were quick to shower her with praise.

The film finds Gray returning to his native New York to explore its working-class world in the 1980s. According to the official synopsis, 2 brothers become entangled in a scheme that seems too good to be true, and as they navigate the dangerous world of the Russian mafia, their family bonds begin to fray.

Another synopsis describes the story as the tragic fallout after a family man is pulled into a shady scheme with Russian criminals by his former cop brother. Gray, who wrote and directed the film, has described it as a deeply personal project rooted in the city, drawing on his upbringing and life-changing family experiences.

The cast looked quite different at first. When the project was announced in November 2024, Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong were set to star alongside Driver, but scheduling conflicts forced them to drop out, opening the door for Johansson and Teller.

‘Paper Tiger’ is Gray’s fourth film selected by the New York Film Festival, following ‘The Immigrant’, ‘The Lost City of Z’, and ‘Armageddon Time’. This year, however, marks his first time landing the coveted opening night slot.

NYFF Artistic Director Dennis Lim praised the film as a career-best achievement with immense emotional power, calling Gray one of the great filmmakers of our time. Distributor Neon also presented every opening night screening in 35mm, a choice Gray celebrated as bringing back the magic of the silver screen.

The movie reunites Gray with cinematographer Joaquín Baca-Asay, who helped craft an aesthetic that feels increasingly rare in modern cinema. Production took place in part in Denville, New Jersey, where the stars were spotted filming.

After its festival run, which also included closing the Sydney Film Festival in June, ‘Paper Tiger’ is headed to theaters. Neon will release the film on November 13, positioning it squarely in the heart of awards season.

With glowing festival buzz and a stacked cast, Johansson’s glamorous red carpet appearance feels like just the beginning of a busy promotional push. Fans will soon get to see whether her performance lives up to the hype.

Are you excited to see Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Miles Teller in Paper Tiger?

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