Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut has been given a callback!
They say that actors should follow their instincts. A lot of us who attended the opening night premiere of Eisenberg’s comedy this past weekend at the Middleburg Film Festival suspected that the film would land the coveted Audience Award, and we are thrilled that that instinct paid off. When the Toronto International Film Festival wrapped up last month, some were surprised that Los Javis’ La Bola Negra landed the top prize when The Debut tickled so many people. The Spanish epic did not walk away from Middleburg empty-handed, though.
Are people underestimating Simon Stone’s Elsinore in the Best Picture race? It has won a few audience prizes since its festival premiere last month, but the audience at my screening on Saturday were audibly in tears at the film’s conclusion. As a giant fan of the film myself, I won’t stop shouting its praises.
Listen to part 1 of our coverage here, and be on the look out for part 2 dropping later this week.
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
THE DEBUT – Winner
ELSINORE – First Runner-Up
WILD HORSE NINE – Second Runner-Up
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
LA BOLA NEGRA
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
14TH






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I’m with you Joey! People were weeping and sniffling at the Sunday showing too.
I was surprised that Wild Horse Nine was voted higher than I Play Rocky because seeing them back to back right after Elsinore, I Play Rocky had a bigger audience reaction than WHN.