Pre-sale from Thu 10 Sep, 10am (details below)
- Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
- Cast: Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti
- Year: 2026
- Duration: 105min
- Certificate: TBC
- Type: Film
Broadway Members pre-sale: Thu 10 Sep, 10am
General sale: Thu 17 Sep, 10am
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For LFF 2026’s curtain call, writer-director Jesse Eisenberg delivers a rapturous and raucously funny love letter to community theatre, featuring a luminous lead performance by Julianne Moore.
Quiet housewife Mona has become a supporting role in her own life; her husband barely acknowledges her presence and their children are on the cusp of fleeing the nest. So when, on an impulse, she auditions for a local production of an original musical, Mona suddenly finds herself in the spotlight when she is cast in a leading role, as Miss Danielle. However, she is unprepared for the theatrical hurricane that is Jerry, her enigmatic director and the ‘biggest name in New Jersey community theatre’. As she continues to be creatively pushed by him, Mona finds herself going to extreme lengths to unlock her character.
The Debut once again finds the perfect balance between humour and drama that Eisenberg delivered with his previous films A Real Pain (LFF 2024) and When You Finish Saving the World. An elegant and intelligent coming-of-older-age story about how it’s never too late to find our true selves, and the redemptive powers of community and art. Take your seats... It’s showtime!
