David Strathairn as Edward Murrow in the NYFF opener Good Night, and Good Luck (Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon)

Good Night, and Good Luck--George Clooney's black-and-white paean to Edward Murrow and the clash of television journalism against McCarthyism--is locked in to open the 43rd New York Film Festival, indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez reports.

The remaining program will be revealed the week of Aug. 15. In the meantime, however, it is refreshing to know that Warner Bros. will receive its second opening-night film in three years, with Good Night reclaiming the coveted slot Mystic River held in 2003. Variety's Ian Mohr reports, however, that festival selection committee chair Richard Pena "made the cut for its artistic merits and not its star wattage":

"For his second film, George Clooney has taken on a challenging subject and succeeded brilliantly," said Pena. "Shot in beautiful black and white, (the film) superbly captures the look and feel of the era while delivering a stirring story with striking contemporary relevance."

Look, I do not doubt it. I thought Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was one of the best films of 2002, and I have wanted to see the story of Murrow vs. McCarthy (especially as it impacted the life of attorney Bartley Crum, whose abuse at McCarthy's hands led to his suicide in 1959) revisited onscreen--in black and white, no less--since my teens. But is the NYFF really impervious to studio pressure, especially for films with fall release dates? After all, it is never too soon to get those Oscar campaigns rolling with that "Official Selection: New York Film Festival" logo emblazoned on the promotional materials.

Which I guess I will not be getting now. Bummer. Well, I hope I can at least still drop by Lincoln Center when the festival opens Sept. 23.