Ladj Ly, the acclaimed French filmmaker behind Les Misérables, will be returning to the Toronto International Film Festival to present his latest film, Les Indésirables.
Ly’s debut feature, Les Misérables, was an official selection and North American premiere at the 2019 Festival, received the Jury Prize at Cannes, was nominated for a Palme d’Or at Cannes as well as several César awards, among others, and ultimately earned an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature. With Les Indésirables, Ly continues to push artistic boundaries, offering audiences a thought-provoking cinematic experience.
“We are honored to showcase Ladj Ly’s remarkable talent once again with the world premiere of his latest work, Les Indésirables,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “This deeply personal film beautifully captures the struggles and aspirations of a community, reflecting Ly’s unparalleled storytelling skills.”
Set in the suburbs on the outskirts of Paris, Les Indésirables is a timely tale of revolution, which beautifully captures a pivotal moment in history. Les Indésirables stars Alexis Manenti, Jeanne Balibar, Steve Tientcheu, Anta Diaw, and Aristote Luyindula. After the sudden death of a town’s mayor, Pierre (Manenti), an idealistic young doctor, is appointed to replace him. He intends to continue the policy of his predecessor, who dreamed of rehabilitating this working-class neighborhood. Haby (Diaw), a young French woman of Malian origin living in one of the dilapidated tower blocks, refuses to see her family driven out of the neighborhood where she grew up. Les Indésirables is a Goodfellas film as well as a sales title for TIFF.
More details for the 48th edition of the Toronto Festival will be announced in the coming weeks.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More