By Maria Esteves - October 19, 2007

The 45th New York Film Festival (NYFF) 2007, Closing Night Premiere film, PERSEPOLIS a Sony Pictures Classics, directed/written by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, was held at Avery Fisher Hall, Sunday, October 14, 8:30pm. The festival presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center was sponsored by SARDEGNA and The New York Times.

Winner of the Special Jury Award, 2007 Cannes Film Festival, Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Language in France, Official Selection at the 2007 Toronto International and Telluride Film Festivals, PERSEPOLIS is a passionate and ingenious animated black-and-white feature film in French with English subtitles based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. The film depicts Marjane's life experience as an assertive Iranian Muslim growing up in Tehran during the 1980's Iran-Iraq war. PERSEPOLIS opens in New York and Los Angeles theaters on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 followed by a nationwide release.

NYFF07 Closing Night Premiere film PERSEPOLIS Red Carpet arrivals included cast of actors, artists, directors, and celebrity guests.

NYFF07 Closing Night Premiere film PERSEPOLIS, NYFF
Chairman of Selection Committee Richard Pena, left, with
Director Bent-Jorden Perlmutt.

NYFF07 Closing Night Premiere film PERSEPOLIS, NYFF Chairman
of Selection Committee Richard Pena, left, with Director Murray Lerner,
THE OTHERSIDE OF THE MIRROR: BOB DYLAN LIVE AT THE
NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL, 1963-1965.

NYFF07 Closing Night Premiere film Directors/Writers,
Marjane Satrapi, left, and Vincent Paronnaud,
PERSEPOLIS.

NYFF07 Closing Night Premiere film Actress,
Catherine Deneuve, PERSEPOLIS.

NYFF07 Closing Night Premiere film Actress, Chiara
Mastroianni (Catherine Deneuve's daughter),
PERSEPOLIS.

NYFF07 Closing Night Premiere film, from left-right, Director/Writer,Vincent Paronnaud,
Actress, Catherine Deneuve, Director/Writer, Marjane Satrapi, and Actress Chiara
Mastroianni, PERSEPOLIS.