Your next great New York evening starts at the cinema

A screening gives an evening a point of view. Dinner can happen almost anywhere. A film, seen with a room full of people who chose to be there, gives the conversation somewhere to go.

The 64th New York Film Festival runs Sept. 25 through Oct. 12, according to Film at Lincoln Center. Its official calendar includes screening times and scheduled appearances. Start there, with the film you actually want to see, before arranging the rest of the evening.

Our approach: Choose one screening, leave room afterward and resist turning the night into a logistical achievement. A short walk and an unhurried dinner beat a reservation that has you checking your watch through the final scene.

For visitors, this is an easy way to give a New York trip a cultural anchor. For locals, it is permission to put something on the calendar that is neither work nor another vaguely negotiated drink.

Check the individual screening page before buying. A ticket to a film should not be mistaken for a guarantee that a particular actor or director will attend. The official listings are the place to confirm any advertised appearance.

The dress code in our imagination? Something you can sit in comfortably, with a jacket for the walk. The smartest accessory is having an opinion when the lights come up.