FILMMAKER JAMES GRAY TO RECEIVE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING AWARD
39th Annual Virginia Film Festival to Feature Gray in Person Following a Special Screening of His New Film PAPER TIGER
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Friday, September 18, 2026 – The Virginia Film Festival (VAFF), a program of the University of Virginia, announced today that acclaimed writer-director James Gray will receive its Virginia Film Festival Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award in recognition of his distinctive body of work and enduring contributions to global cinema. Gray will be honored at the 39th annual Virginia Film Festival, taking place October 21–25, 2026, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
As part of the celebration, the Virginia Film Festival will present a special screening of Gray’s new film Paper Tiger, starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller, followed by an in-person conversation with Gray and his longtime composer Christopher Spelman.
Written and directed by Gray, Paper Tiger is a deeply felt crime drama set in 1980s New York. The film follows two brothers whose pursuit of the American Dream draws them into a dangerous scheme involving the Russian mafia, putting their family—and their bond—to the test. Paper Tiger premiered in competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and will make its North American premiere as the Opening Night selection of the 64th New York Film Festival. NEON will release Paper Tiger in select theaters on November 13, 2026.
“James Gray is one of the most singular and deeply human filmmakers working today,” said VAFF Artistic Director Ilya Tovbis. “Across nine remarkable features, he has created emotionally rich, visually assured films that examine family, ambition, class, and the elusive promise of the American Dream. We are thrilled to welcome James to Charlottesville to celebrate his extraordinary career and to share Paper Tiger with our audiences.”
“Paper Tiger is both an exhilarating new chapter in James Gray’s career and a powerful return to the New York terrain he has explored with such depth and specificity,” said VAFF Executive Director Jody Kielbasa. “This honor gives our audience a rare opportunity to hear directly from a master filmmaker about his process, his influences, and the personal vision behind one of the year’s most anticipated films.”
Born in New York City and raised in Queens, Gray made his feature debut at age 25 with Little Odessa, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and received the Silver Lion. He followed with The Yards and We Own the Night, two acclaimed crime dramas that further established his reputation for morally complex, character-driven storytelling and his evocative portraits of family and New York City.
Gray’s subsequent films include Two Lovers, The Immigrant, The Lost City of Z, Ad Astra and Armageddon Time. His work has been selected repeatedly by the world’s leading film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, and New York, and has featured collaborations with performers including Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Renner, Robert Pattinson, Charlie Hunnam, Brad Pitt, Anne Hathaway, and Anthony Hopkins.
Across his films, Gray has paired classical visual storytelling with intimate examinations of loyalty, longing, social mobility, and the costs of aspiration. Paper Tiger marks his ninth feature as a director and continues his exploration of families confronting powerful economic and moral pressures.
The Virginia Film Festival is a program of the University of Virginia and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts. The 2026 Virginia Film Festival is presented by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.
Press materials and images are available at virginiafilmfestival.org/news-press/media-inquiries.
About The Virginia Film Festival
The Virginia Film Festival, now in its 39th year, is a program of the University of Virginia. Widely recognized as one of the leading regional film festivals in America, the VAFF is known for its commitment to taking audiences beyond the screen to explore some of the most important issues of our time. The five-day festival annually delivers more than 100 films from around the world, combining special previews of some of the hottest titles of the festival season with an array of fascinating documentaries, exciting new voices on the independent film scene, the best of the international film scene and more.
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PRESS CONTACTS:
National Publicity:
Virginia Film Festival Team at The Lede Company
virginiafilmfestival@ledecompany.com
Charlottesville Publicity:
John Kelly at john@johnkellypr.com