The selection, with the premiere set for September 27, gives Scorsese a hometown launch for one of his most anticipated films.

The Irishman is Scorsese's $US125 million Netflix film about the reflections of a former Jimmy Hoffa associate and hit man.

Its genre and cast - including Robert De Niro as Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino - have long tantalised fans of the 76-year-old filmmaker.

New York Film Festival Director Kent Jones, a frequent collaborator with Scorsese, said in a statement that The Irishman is "the work of masters, made with a command of the art of cinema that I've seen very rarely in my lifetime, and it plays out at a level of subtlety and human intimacy that truly stunned me."

Netflix is planning a robust awards season push for the film, including a not-yet-dated release in select theatres later this year.

How widely Netflix will release it remains to be seen; major theatre chains have thus far refused to play films that don't adhere to a traditional exclusive theatrical release window of 90 days. Netflix has said holding movies back from its streaming service doesn't serve its subscribers.

In an interview with The Associated Press in June , Scorsese said Netflix was the only one willing to bankroll the ambitious film, based on Charles Brandt's I Heard You Paint Houses.

"No one else did. No one else did," said Scorsese, who also turned to Netflix for his Bob Dylan documentary.

"We decided to make it with the understanding that it'll maybe never be shown in theatres. They said, 'You would have a time in theatres' - a few weeks or whatever. I said fine. The idea was to make the movie, you see."

Scorsese has also lamented the major studios' reliance on blockbusters.

"I don't do those," said Scorsese.

"There's only so much time in your life. I need to make these movies. I just need to. So where do I go?"

The filmmaker on Monday said he was grateful for the New York Film Festival selection (his first as the opening night film) and praised the festival as "critical to bringing awareness to cinema from around the world."

Australian Associated Press