Cody Fern brings directing debut Closing Night to Toronto
Cody Fern has made his directing debut with Closing Night, a family drama that has had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film centres on two sisters divided by fame. Sarah Paulson plays movie star Sandra Vale and Naomi Watts plays her emotionally fragile sister April, a pairing described in festival coverage from The Hollywood Reporter.
Five names lead the cast. Paulson and Watts are joined by Dianne Wiest as Diane, Toby Wallace as Theo and Odessa A'zion as Lucy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The feature runs 1 hour 55 minutes.
Fern directs from a script he wrote with Devon Bostick. It is credited as Fern's first feature as director, after building his profile as an actor.
The premiere came in Special Presentations, one of Toronto's main showcase sections for new films. The festival had earlier confirmed Closing Night for a world premiere in its 2026 line-up, alongside new work from other established directors, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Early notices have followed quickly. IndieWire published its review under the headline "'Closing Night' Review: Sarah Paulson & Naomi Watts in Bad Melodrama", while The Guardian published its review as "Closing Night review – fiery women face off in Almodóvar-lite melodrama".
What makes this stand out on the festival slate is the change of chair. Fern moves from in front of the camera to behind it, working with two widely recognised leads and a veteran supporting cast in a contained family story built for actors.
