Opening and closing films for the 50th New York Film Festival announced.

The 50th New York Film Festival is schedule to begin on Friday, September 28, and for the first time in the history of the prestigious festival, it will open with a 3D film as Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" start off the festival. This will be the third time a film by Ang Lee receives the honor of being shown in the festival as  "The Ice Storm" featured in the 1997 edition and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was the closing film in the 2000 edition. "Life of Pi" is based on the novel by Yann Martel which tells the story of a man who survives a disaster at sea. A vital element to this story is the relationship that builds between the young man and the other survivor; a Bengal tiger. Long considered an un-filmable book, Life of Pi takes place over three continents, two oceans and many years.

The film that will receive the honor of closing the festival will be Robert Zemeckis "Flight", which mark the filmmakers return to live action (since Cast Away which was released 12 years ago). "Flight" stars Denzel Washington as a pilot who saves all his passengers after a crash landing, unraveling a complex and thrilling mistery. John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo and Kelly Reilly also star in this film."We're delighted to welcome Robert Zemeckis to the New York Film Festival for the first time. A director equally known for delighting audiences as well as for pushing the technological limits of film-making said Richard Peña, NYFF Selection Committee Chair & Film Society Program Director.

The rest of the films to be featured in the festival are expected to be announced in the next couple of days and it is expected to run from September 28 to October 14. Films will be shown at the Lincoln Center Campus at Alice Tully Hall, the Walter Reade Theater, and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. Tickets will go on sale after the full lineup is announced and it is recommended that viewers purchase a subscription package with the Film Society today as the demand for tickets is "extremely high".

The non-competitive Festival began in 1963 and it was established by Amos Vogel and Richard Round and it opened its first ever edition with Luis Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel". Last year the festival opened with Roman Polanski's "Carnage" and closed with the Iranian film "This is not a film". Stay tuned for announcements on the full lineup once it becomes available.