George Clooney comedy to close New York Film Festival

Alexander Payne's eagerly awaited comedy "The Descendants" will serve as the closing-night attraction at the New York Film Festival, the Film Society of Lincoln Center announced on Wednesday. The film, featuring George Clooney as a father whose life is shaken when his wife is injured in a boating accident, is Payne's first since the Oscar winner "Sideways."

The festival also announced its main slate of 27 features, some of which had already been confirmed. The lineup includes Michel Hazanavicius silent comedy "The Artist," Lars von Trier's controversial "Melancholia," Martin Scorsese's documentary "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," and Steve McQueen's "Shame," the British director's follow-up to his acclaimed "Hunger."

The opening night attraction, Roman Polanski's "Carnage," was previously announced.

The festival will also feature an in-depth conversation with Payne as part of its "On Cinema" series.

The New York Film Festival, which is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, runs from September 30 through October 16.