It may have a fancy uptown address, but believe it or not the New York Film Festival is surprisingly down-to-earth. Sure, it has its high-ticket red carpet events, but there are also plenty of ways to get in the festival spirit without even opening your wallet. This year’s fete seems to have even more enticing budget-friendly options than in years past.

For those that like to intellectualize the cinematic process, there are no shortage of free talks to attend. From today through Saturday, October 10, the festival is hosting nightly conversations with some of the greatest cinematic auteurs on the scene today. Among those taking the hot seat are Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles (Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang), Arnaud Desplechin (My Golden Years), and Michel Gondry, who is at the fest with his handmade-SFX comedy Microbe & Gasoline. In addition these discussions, there are also free HBO Director Dialogues with Michael Moore (Where to Invade Next?) and Todd Haynes (Carol), as well as a panel discussion on taking Rebecca Miller’s latest film Maggie’s Plan, which stars Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, and Julianne Moore, from script to screen. You can find a full schedule here.

Documentary lovers will no doubt want to pencil in the tribute to Albert Maysles that is happening on Sunday, 10/4. Co-hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Maysles family, the free event will feature special guests and a selection of clips celebrating the late filmmaker’s body of work. Tickets will be available in the lobby of Alice Tully Hall on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9am on Saturday. The event begins at 10am and you can find more information about it here.

Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson’s
Bring Me The Head of Tim Horton

There are even free screenings to be had at the 53rd edition of the New York Film Festival. Before the festival began, there was Free Friday, a day devoted to screenings of a great classic films. If you missed out on those treasures, the NYFF has a few more free cinematic treats up its sleeve. On Monday (9/28) and Tuesday (9/29), Guy Maddin’s new short film Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton is screening in a continuous loop in the amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.  Maddin, who is at the festival with his latest feature-length apparition The Forbidden Room, worked with Evan and Galen Johnson on the short project which is an exploration into the depiction of violence in cinema. From 10/2-10/4, the amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center plays host to three programs in the festival’s Projections series. If you dig mind-expanding film and video work, then you’ll want to mosey over to catch these. Many of the filmmakers highlighted in these programs, including Victoria Fu, Takeshi Murata, Katherin McInnis and Calum Michel Walter, will be stopping by to discuss their work.

If you can afford to part with $7, rush tickets are an excellent way to catch some of the festival’s premiere options. The festival will regularly update their website with which screenings will have tickets available. We recommend bookmarking the page now and checking it at least once a day. The screenings that take place at venues other than the Alice Tully Hall will only set you back $7. If you can afford to spend $15, then you can do rush for films at Alice Tully Hall.

As far as other tips for enjoying the festival by spending some money but not totally depleting your bank account, we suggest looking at the second screenings of films. These screenings take place at smaller theaters and are $5 cheaper than the screenings at Alice Tully Hall. Becoming a member of the Film Society of Lincoln Center is also a money saver if you’re thinking of purchasing tickets to more than a handful of films. Members enjoy $5 off tickets to all regular festival screenings and $25 off the opening, centerpiece and closing nights. Plus, FSLC has terrific programming throughout the year for which you’ll receive discounted admission, as well as the chance to purchase tickets before anyone else for popular series like New Directors/New Films, Film Comment Selects and Dance on Camera.