Lemonade premieres at Toronto with Barry Keoghan and Lewis Brophy
An 18-year-old told he must leave foster care on his birthday is at the centre of Lemonade, the Irish independent film that held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The story is set inside Ireland's care system and is described as being about first loves, second chances and the power of human connection, according to Variety. A world premiere means the first public screening of a finished film.
Newcomer Lewis Brophy plays Danny, an 18-year-old raised in foster care who must move out of a halfway home. Barry Keoghan plays Josh, Danny's former social worker, alongside Carla Tous and Eileen Walsh in the principal cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film runs 1 hour 52 minutes.
It is written and directed by Kim Bartley, a documentarian making her debut as a director of narrative features, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Lemonade screened in Centrepiece, one of the festival's programme sections for international work. The slot placed a small production before a large festival audience.
The film has secured a UK-Ireland distribution deal, as reported by Screen Daily. A distribution deal gives a company the right to release a film in cinemas in those territories. The report identified Toronto as the venue for its world premiere.
Keoghan came with one clear rule. Do not touch his hair. That was his key demand for taking the part, according to Variety.
What makes this stand out on the calendar is the path. A low-budget Irish drama launches at Toronto, arrives with its home release already lined up, and pairs a new lead with an established name. For audiences, the set-up needs little explanation. Danny has a deadline, no home, and one familiar contact to call.
