Mati Diop's 'Atlantiques' Will Be Making Its U.S. Debut at the 57th New York Film Festival

The main slate has been announced for the 57th New York Film Festival, presented by Film at Lincoln Center—holding from September 27 to October 13, Deadline reports.

This year's main slate presents films from 17 countries, highlighting both newcomers and celebrated filmmakers who made a statement at acclaimed international film festivals this year.

One of which is Mati Diop'sAtlantiques. The Senegalese-French filmmaker was the one to watch this year at Cannes and took home the Grand Prix Award and a Netflix acquisition.

Diop's film is a response to the migrant/refugee crisis, following the story of a young woman from Dakar whose lover has mysteriously disappeared. Believed to be dead, he returns to their village in Senegal.

"Cinema is the domain of freedom, and it's an ongoing struggle to maintain that freedom. It's getting harder and harder for anyone to make films of real ambition anywhere in this world," Kent Jones, NYFF director and Selection Committee chair, says in a statement.

"Each and every movie in this lineup, big or small, whether it's made in Italy or Senegal or New York City, is the result of artists behind the camera fighting on multiple fronts to realize a vision and create something new in the world. That includes masters like Martin Scorsese and Pedro Almodóvar and younger filmmakers coming to the festival for the first time like Mati Diop and Angela Schanelec."

Atlantiques will premiere on closing night at the New York Film Festival. For more information and for tickets, check out their website here.