Closing night film of the 70th BFI London Film Festival: Jesse Eisenberg's comedy about community theatre, with Julianne Moore, screened at HOME.
The Debut is coming to HOME on Sunday 18 October, as part of the 70th BFI London Film Festival. It's the festival's Closing Night Gala, which usually means the big finale, and it's playing at HOME in Manchester as well as at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The film is written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, who's back at the festival after A Real Pain premiered here in 2024, and he's expected to attend with the cast.
It's a comedy about community theatre, described as a rapturous and raucously funny love letter to the whole thing. The story follows a shy woman who gets cast in a local production of an original musical, loses herself in the role, and finds herself swept up in the high-stakes world of amateur dramatics under the spell of a strong-willed, enigmatic director. If you've ever spent time in a local theatre group, you'll recognise the kind of territory it's treading.
The cast is a big one: Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu, Bernadette Peters, Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper, Maulik Pancholy and Bonnie Milligan. It's a wide-ranging ensemble, and given the community theatre setting, it's easy to imagine them filling out a whole cast of local characters.
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This is one of 251 titles in the 70th BFI London Film Festival, which runs from 7 to 18 October with 88 countries represented and 33 world premieres. The Debut is the Closing Night Gala, and it's screening at partner venues across the UK, including HOME, before its general UK cinema release on 15 January 2027. Tickets are £40.
