Jesse Eisenberg’s musical comedy The Debut to close BFI London Film Festival
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Jesse Eisenberg's musical comedy "The Debut" has been confirmed as the closing night gala of the 70th BFI London Film Festival, screening on 18 October at London's Royal Festival Hall. It marks Eisenberg's follow-up as director to "A Real Pain", which earned him an Oscar nomination and BAFTA win, and gives the festival's audience a starry send-off with the writer-director and much of his cast expected to attend.
The film stars Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey and Havana Rose Liu, with Bernadette Peters, Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper, Maulik Pancholy and Bonnie Milligan rounding out the ensemble. It follows a shy woman drawn into a local production of an original musical under the sway of a forceful, enigmatic director. "The Debut" will first premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, before A24 releases it in US cinemas on 11 December and Lionsgate brings it to UK screens on 15 January 2027; the London festival itself runs from 7 to 18 October.
- Eisenberg's "The Debut" closes BFI London Film Festival on 18 October
- Stars Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu
- Follows Oscar-nominated "A Real Pain"; UK release 15 January 2027
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Community theatre offers a stage for ordinary people to perform, usually run by amateur groups rather than professional companies, and it's a setting familiar to many but rarely explored in mainstream film. Jesse Eisenberg, best known as an actor but increasingly recognised as a director after his well-received film 'A Real Pain', has turned his attention to this world for his new project, a musical comedy called 'The Debut'. The story follows a shy woman who joins a local theatrical production and gets swept up in it by an intense director.
The BFI London Film Festival is one of Britain's major annual film events, held in October, where new films are shown to audiences and critics before wider release, often building buzz ahead of awards season. Each year the festival opens and closes with a high-profile screening, and 'The Debut' has been chosen to close this year's 70th edition. The cast includes well-known actors such as Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey and Havana Rose Liu.
The film's journey after the festival matters too, since it will first be shown at another major event, the Toronto International Film Festival, before going on general release in cinemas in the United States and then Britain. Its distributors, A24 and Lionsgate, are established names in the film industry known for backing distinctive and awards-friendly titles, which adds to the anticipation surrounding the project.
More coverage
- The Hollywood Reporter — Jesse Eisenberg Musical ‘The Debut’ Set to Close London Film Festival
- Deadline — Jesse Eisenberg’s ‘The Debut’ With Julianne Moore & Paul Giamatti To Close BFI London Film Festival
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Originally published by Variety as “Jesse Eisenberg’s Musical Comedy ‘The Debut,’ Starring Julianne Moore, to Close London Film Festival”.