Magazine premieres at Toronto with intern tale from 2011 publishing world
Magazine, the feature directing debut of Alexandra Pechman, has premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, according to Deadline. The film centres on Nora, a summer intern played by Lily McInerny. It is described as a coming-of-age tale set in the New York literary scene, according to Variety.
The story takes place around 2011, in the pre-digital New York publishing world, according to Deadline. Nora is newly arrived from Arizona and starts an internship at a tastemaking literary journal, a magazine that helps decide what other readers and writers take seriously, according to Deadline. In the film, the journal is the fictional monthly Platen. She wants to be a poet.
That date matters. Desks are piled with paper, office doors stay closed, and reputations are still made in print rather than online. Nora learns the routines of fact-checking, office errands and late drinks while trying to find her own voice.
The office around her is full. Lupita Maxwell and Daniel Zolghadri play fellow interns Tabitha and Leonard, while Joshuah Melnick plays editorial assistant Thomas, according to Deadline. Iris Apatow appears as Daphne and Ruby Cruz appears as Greer. Jake Lacy plays Mickey, the publisher.
Ahead of its TIFF debut, the film secured a sales deal, an agreement in which a specialist company offers distribution rights to buyers, according to Deadline. Pechman drew on her own story to create the film, according to Variety. TIFF describes the project as the sentimental education of an aspiring poet, meaning a young writer learning about work, ambition and adult relationships, according to TIFF.
McInerny arrived with festival history. She previously appeared in Bonjour Tristesse, which featured at TIFF in 2024, according to TIFF. In that film she played 18-year-old Cécile, according to TIFF. In Magazine, she plays a young intern caught in intoxicating power dynamics, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What makes this stand out is the setting. Print magazines once held real sway over books, careers and reputations. By placing a newcomer from outside New York inside that closed office, the film gives viewers a clear way in.
Festivals such as Toronto act as a marketplace as well as a showcase. Sales agents introduce finished films to distributors who can put them into cinemas or onto streaming services. Distribution news decides when and where any festival premiere can be seen.
