Paul Thomas Anderson’s Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall will receive its world premiere at the 2026 New York Film Festival. The film documents Cameron Winter’s solo performance at Carnegie Hall in December 2025, connecting the musician’s live concert with Anderson’s work as a filmmaker.
Key Takeaways
- Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall will have its world premiere at the 2026 New York Film Festival.
- Paul Thomas Anderson directed the concert film featuring musician Cameron Winter.
- The film documents Winter’s solo Carnegie Hall performance from December 2025.
- Winter performed alone with a Steinway grand piano during the concert.
- The film was captured on 16mm and 35mm film.
Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall Sets NYFF World Premiere
The film will premiere October 1 at Alice Tully Hall as part of the Spotlight section of the 64th New York Film Festival. Paul Thomas Anderson and Cameron Winter are scheduled to attend the screening, which will be presented on 35mm film.
The New York Film Festival will run from September 25 through October 12, 2026, in New York City. The festival’s Spotlight section includes films receiving world, North American and New York premieres.
The festival had previously expanded its Spotlight lineup with additional features from filmmakers including Tom McCarthy, Jesse Eisenberg and Jordan Firstman. The addition of Anderson’s concert film gives the 2026 schedule another project centered directly on a musician and a live performance.
The October 1 screening will serve as the film’s world premiere. Additional screenings are scheduled for October 2 and October 9 during the festival.
The festival listing gives the film a 75-minute runtime and identifies it as a 2026 U.S. production. Anderson is credited as director, with the film presented in a 35mm format.
Paul Thomas Anderson Directs the Carnegie Hall Concert Film
Anderson directed and shot the film, turning Winter’s Carnegie Hall performance into a concert-film production. The project was filmed using both 16mm and 35mm formats, with the New York Film Festival presenting the completed work on 35mm.
The production also involved filmmaker Benny Safdie. Safdie joined Anderson during the Carnegie Hall recording as part of the film crew.
The film is structured around a single live performance rather than a conventional narrative feature. Its subject is Winter performing his music at Carnegie Hall, with Anderson’s cameras documenting the musician and the performance space.
Concert films have also been used to translate live music into feature-length visual productions. A recent example is a project built around Billie Eilish’s Manchester performances, where the concert footage forms the basis of a cinematic production.
Film at Lincoln Center describes Anderson’s project through images of Winter and Carnegie Hall, placing the musician and venue within the same visual presentation. The production therefore uses the concert as its central source while applying a filmmaking approach to the recorded performance.
The project is listed as a Janus Films and Criterion release. That information identifies the companies connected with the film’s distribution.
Cameron Winter Performs a Solo Carnegie Hall Concert
The film centers on Winter’s December 11, 2025, performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. Winter performed without his band, accompanying himself on a Steinway grand piano.
Winter is the frontman of the Brooklyn band Geese and also performs as a solo artist. The Carnegie Hall concert provided a setting in which his individual performance could serve as the sole musical focus of the film.
The performance differed from a full-band concert because Winter appeared alone with the piano. The arrangement placed his vocals and songwriting at the center of the presentation.
The concert took place at Carnegie Hall, which also provides the film’s primary physical setting. Anderson’s production captured Winter as well as the auditorium, incorporating the venue into the visual record of the performance.
The December 2025 concert became the source material for the completed film rather than a separate studio production. The film consequently preserves a specific live performance while presenting it through Anderson’s camera work.
Music documentaries have also used individual recordings and performances as the central material for film projects. A separate documentary project based on a recovered Billy Joel interview uses archival audio and animation to build a film around a specific period in the musician’s career.
Winter’s Carnegie Hall appearance provides a different format, with the live performance itself serving as the central subject. The completed film places that performance within a feature-length presentation directed by Anderson.
Film Production Uses 16mm and 35mm Formats
Anderson’s production used two photochemical film formats, 16mm and 35mm. The New York Film Festival will screen the completed film on 35mm for its world premiere.
The production was recorded during Winter’s December 2025 Carnegie Hall appearance rather than during a separate studio session. The concert therefore provides the primary source material for the film.
The use of 16mm and 35mm distinguishes the production from a standard digital concert recording. Anderson photographed the performance as a motion-picture project, with the cameras documenting both Winter and the Carnegie Hall setting.
The finished film includes close views of Winter alongside wider images of the concert venue. That visual structure allows the musician’s performance and the architecture of Carnegie Hall to appear within the same film.
The New York Film Festival’s 35mm presentation preserves one of the formats used in the production. The premiere will therefore present the completed concert film in a photochemical format consistent with its production.
Anderson’s involvement extends beyond directing. He also shot the film, giving him responsibility for the visual recording of Winter’s performance.
The project connects a live music performance with a filmmaker’s visual approach without changing the central subject of the concert. Winter’s performance remains the foundation of the film, while Anderson’s photography supplies its cinematic presentation.
The combination of live music and filmmaking has also appeared in festival presentations involving music documentaries and concert projects. The 2026 Tribeca Festival, for example, included music-focused documentaries and live performances connected to film presentations.
New York Film Festival Adds the Concert Film to Its 2026 Lineup
The 2026 New York Film Festival will present Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall in its Spotlight section. Film at Lincoln Center is organizing the 64th edition of the festival, which runs from September 25 through October 12.
The world premiere is scheduled for October 1 at Alice Tully Hall, with Anderson and Winter scheduled to attend. The screening will be presented on 35mm film.
Two additional festival screenings are listed for October 2 and October 9. The schedule gives the film multiple screenings during the festival following its world premiere.
The film’s inclusion places a concert documentary within a major film-festival schedule alongside narrative features, documentaries and other cinematic works. Its central subject remains Winter’s Carnegie Hall performance, while the festival presentation establishes the project as a film intended for theatrical screening.
The project also connects two creative forms through one documented performance. Winter provides the live music at the center of the film, while Anderson directs and shoots the visual record presented at the festival.
The New York Film Festival premiere will be the first public festival presentation of the completed film. Anderson and Winter’s scheduled attendance will bring the filmmaker and musician together at the first screening.
The film’s 75-minute runtime gives the Carnegie Hall performance a feature-length presentation. Its 35mm festival screening also preserves the production’s connection to traditional film formats.
The project is listed as a Janus Films and Criterion release, providing the film with an identified distribution partnership beyond its festival presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall premiere?
The film will have its world premiere on October 1, 2026, at the 64th New York Film Festival. The screening is scheduled for Alice Tully Hall.
Who directed Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall?
Paul Thomas Anderson directed and shot the concert film. Filmmaker Benny Safdie also participated in the production.
Who is Cameron Winter?
Cameron Winter is a musician who performs as a solo artist and serves as the frontman of the Brooklyn band Geese. The film documents his solo Carnegie Hall performance.
What performance does the Cameron Winter concert film document?
The film documents Winter’s December 11, 2025, solo performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. He performed alone with a Steinway grand piano.
Where will the film premiere?
The world premiere will take place at Alice Tully Hall in New York as part of the 64th New York Film Festival. The premiere is scheduled to be presented on 35mm film.
