'Hugo' is NYFF's surprise

"Hugo"The NY Film Festival's unusual, work-in-progress screening of Martin Scorsese's upcoming 3D outing "Hugo" serves as the strategic launch of the film's fall campaign for awards attention.Reps from the NYFF wouldn't confirm the addition of "Hugo" to the sked, but a couple of insiders verified what the rumor mill had begun to see as the logical choice, given the clues dropped by NYFF and the fact that Scorsese already has a doc, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World" in the fest's main slate.Given the festival's reputation as a small, exclusive showcase of the year's films -- the main slate consists of only 25-28 pics per year, with 27 movies on the menu this year -- NYFF can serve as a high-profile tastemaker launch for a fall film, as evidenced by last year's world preem of "The Social Network."The NYFF outing can serve as an early thumbs-up from the famously discerning festival programmers, and could act as an attention-getter for more serious-minded auds who might be tempted to dismiss "Hugo" as kiddie fare.Based on Brian Selznick's illustrated, young adult novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," "Hugo" centers on an orphan in 1930s Paris who struggles to reanimate a robot that his recently deceased father had made work. Film stars Johnny Depp, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley, among others, alongside Asa Butterfield as the central orphan.The fest announced late last week it would be adding a sneak-preview screening of a work-in-progress film by a "master filmmaker." NYFF wouldn't reveal the film's title even when the screening went on sale Friday, but organizers did confirm the movie was due to be released prior to the end of the year. "Hugo," from production company GK Films, is skedded for a Nov. 23 release from Paramount.When NYFF first announced the mystery addition, early speculation ran toward "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close," a pair of upcoming films from producer Scott Rudin, who bowed "Social Network" at NYFF in 2010. Also in the mix were other high-profile fall offerings including Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" and Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar."Although unconfirmed by NYFF, it's said the film is due to screen in 3D, though still in an unfinished cut. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com