Scarlett Johansson‘s directorial debut, “Eleanor the Great,” is getting a theatrical release in September.
The heartwarming drama, starring June Squibb as a 90-year-old woman trying to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend, will premiere in theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 26 from Sony Pictures Classics.
“Eleanor the Great” debuted in May at Cannes Film Festival in its Un Certain Regard section, earning a five-minute standing ovation. Johansson called screening the film at Cannes a “dream come true” during its premiere.
“When you make a film that’s an independent film like this, no one’s doing it for the money — surprise, surprise,” she continued. “Really, everyone that came together for this film came together because they loved the story, the script so much. It’s a film about many things: it’s about friendship, it’s about grief, it’s about forgiveness. And I think those are all themes that we can use a lot more of these days.”
Alongside Squibb, “Eleanor the Great” stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht and Erin Kellyman. The screenplay was penned by Tory Kamen.
The film marks the first partnership between Sony Pictures Classics and TriStar Pictures. It was produced by Johansson, Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn for These Pictures, Kara Durrett and Jessamine Burgum for Pinky Promise, and Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler of Maven Screen Media. Steve Sarowitz, Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath and Andrew Calof executive produced for Wayfarer Studios. Ezra Gabay and Raj Kishor Khaware exec produed on behalf of Content Engineers. Wayfarer Studios, Content Engineers, Pinky Promise and MacPac co-financed the film.