'The Favourite' to open New York Film Festival

Los Angeles : Yorgos Lanthimos "The Favourite," a historical drama set during the reign of Queen Anne, will kick off the 56th New York Film Festival.

The Fox Searchlight title will make its New York debut and is already expected to screen in Venice.

"The Favourite" follows the court wranglings of Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough ( played by Rachel Weisz) and her servant Abigail Hill ( played by Emma Stone) as they jockey for position with Queen Anne ( played by Olivia Colman).

The film will screen at Alice Tully Hall on September 28. It opens in theaters on November. 23, and will likely factor into the Oscar race, reports variety.com.

The New York Film Festival is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The lineup for the annual celebration of cinema is beginning to take shape. Last week, the festival announced that Alfonso Cuaron's family drama "Roma" has been set as the Centerpiece movie and will screen on October 5.

Last year, the New York Film Festival kicked off with "Last Flag Flying," a Richard Linklater dramedy that came-and-went without making much of a stir, and in 2015, the festival opened with "The Walk," a huge Robert Zemeckis bomb.