Onward and sideways It will go across the pond to its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in a presentation at the TIFF Gala, it was revealed Monday morning. and Hollywood Reporter New images from the film from John Gore Studios and Hilltop Screen, starring Emmy and Golden Globe winner Laura Linney, can now be exclusively revealed (Ozark, Love Actually, John Adams) and BAFTA winner Rhys Ifans (Inheritance, Venom: The Last Dance, House of the Dragon) as two people who have a lot in common – a great sense of humor, a love of dancing, and, as he was just diagnosed, Parkinson’s disease.
The “sentimental and surprisingly funny” film is directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Operation Mincemeat, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), adapted from a screenplay by Paul Mayhew-Archer (Dibley MP, Roald Dahl’s Ecio Trott He co-hosts the Parkinson’s Disease podcast Movers and shakers), the film’s TIFF premiere will be followed by a theatrical release across the UK and US before being released on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Kaleidscope Film Distribution, produced by Hilltop Screen for John Gore Studios and the BBC, represents international sales. CAA Media Finance co-represents North America. Icon Film Distribution will release the film theatrically in the UK
Evans plays Tony Evans, a deputy headteacher at a primary school. Lenny is Emma Dritzen, a musician, composer and single mother of two daughters. They are joined by Monica Dolan (Mr. Bates v. Post Office, Sherwood, Black Mirror(As Liz Evans and Rory Kinnear)The Diplomat, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Dave Bank) such as Professor Ridge and Mayhew Archer, among others.
The film focuses on two people who don’t know each other “until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives,” according to the film’s synopsis. “On the same morning, these two face a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. This film is the story of Tony and Emma – a friendship that unfolds unexpectedly. A story of humor and passion, defiance and courage, music and dance – transcending the assumptions of an incomprehensible condition, and triumphing over the odds to find joy, liberation and love.”
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