"The Paperboy" screened at New York Film Festival

Actress Nicole Kidman attends the Nicole Kidman Gala Tribute during the 50th annual New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center on Oct. 3, 2012, in New York. / Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

"The Paperboy," Lee Daniels' controversial 1960s melodrama, was screened Wednesday night at the New York Film Festival and its star Nicole Kidman was honored at a gala afterwards.

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New York Film Festival 2012

The Oscar winning actress was joined by her husband Keith Urban on the red carpet. The actress wore a red L'Wren cocktail dress to the event.

The film, which also stars Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey and John Cusack, follows an aspiring writer(Efron) who is helping his journalist brother (McConaughey) investigate a case involving a death row inmate (Cusack). Efron's Jack falls for Kidman's femme fatale, who is in turn obsessed with the inmate.

• "The Paperboy" pushes actors out of their comfort zones
• 'The Paperboy' delivers gooey, sleazy cheese

The film was directed by Daniels, who also directed "Precious," and is being released Oct 5. Check out the trailer below.