N.O. film fest gets under way tonight

New Orleans — The 23rd New Orleans Film Festival opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, with a sold-out screening of “The Paperboy” at the recently restored Joy Theater.

Starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, John Cusack, Kevin Spacey and Macy Gray, “The Paperboy” was written and directed by Lee Daniels, the Oscar-nominated director of “Precious.”

Filmed in Louisiana, “The Paperboy” premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s based on the novel by Pete Dexter.

Advanced publicity for “The Paperboy” describes it as a sexually and racially charged film noir. McConaughey plays a reporter who returns to his backwater Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate.

The festival runs through Oct. 18, screening dozens of feature films and short films. Screenings will take place at various New Orleans area locations, including the Prytania Theatre, Canal Place, Chalmette Movies, the Contemporary Arts Center and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Filmmakers will attend many of the screenings.

The festival closes at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Prytania Theatre with a double-feature, “The Sessions” and “The Iceman.” Both films are based on true stories.

“The Sessions,” starring Helen Hunt and John Hawkes, won a special jury award and an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival.

“The Iceman” tells the story of Richard Kuklinski, a family man who’s also a killer-for-hire. Partly filmed in Shreveport, it stars Michael Shannon, James Franco, Chris Evans, Benicio del Toro and Winona Ryder.

Film festival tickets are on sale at the festival headquarters box office at the CAC, 900 Camp St., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

During the festival, individual venue box offices will open one hour prior to the first screening of that day at that venue. Information is available at (504) 309-6633.

For a complete schedule and to purchase tickets online see http://www.neworleansfilmsociety.org/festival.