Editor

THE 43RD NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT FILM:
GEORGE CLOONEY'S GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.

The 43rd New York Film Festival runs from September 23 to October 9, 2005.

The festival’s Opening Night film was GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. The film is directed by George Clooney, who co-wrote the script with the film's producer Grant Heslov. Clooney also stars as CBS News producer Fred Friendly.

A longtime dream project for Clooney, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. is a suspenseful war of nerves set in the high-stakes environment of the 1950s news room, at a time when the social, cultural, and commercial influence of television was rapidly growing, together with a Cold War atmosphere of fear and paranoia stoked by the infamous investigations of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

One of the few public figures to take a stand against the Junior Senator from Wisconsin was veteran CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn). With the help of a devoted and committed news team led by Friendly, Murrow works to undermine McCarthy in a nationally broadcast news program, while standing firm against pressures from within his own parent corporation. The outstanding cast includes Robert Downey, Jr. and Patricia Clarkson as Joe and Shirley Wershba, Frank Langella as Bill Paley, Ray Wise as Don Hollenbeck, Grant Heslov as Don Hewitt, and Jeff Daniels as Ted Church.

“For his second film, George Clooney has taken on a challenging subject and succeeded brilliantly,” said Richard Peña. “Shot in beautiful black and white, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. superbly captures the look and feel of the era while delivering a stirring story with striking contemporary relevance.”

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. was produced by Grant Heslov; the film’s executive producers are Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc Butan, Steven Soderbergh, Jennifer Fox, Ben Cosgrove, Jeff Skoll, and Chris Salvaterra