The Toronto International Film Festival announced today that the World Premiere of Rocks, director Sarah Gavron’s intimate, honest, and precise third feature, will open the 2019 Platform programme. The follow-up to her earlier Suffragette and Brick Lane stars Bukky Bakray in a career-launching role as Rocks, a teenager who suddenly finds herself struggling to take care of herself and her younger brother.
“Rocks brilliantly reimagines the coming-of-age narrative with a pathos and precision we rarely see,” said Cameron Bailey, Platform Co-Curator and TIFF Artistic Director and Co-Head. “Across only two features, Gavron has already proven herself as a distinct voice in world cinema, and we are proud to open this year’s Platform section with her remarkable third directorial effort, an affecting celebration of empathy and an urgent reminder of the essential value of friendship.”
The film stars Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali, Shaneigha Greyson, D’Angelou Osei Kissiedu, & Sarah Niles.
Rox is a popular teenager with big dreams for the future, brilliant friends and an adoring little brother Emmanuel. But her world is turned upside down when her mother suddenly leaves. Determined to stick with her brother and avoid being taken into care against all odds, Rox leaves her home and hides around London with the help of her loyal – or maybe not so loyal – friends.
As each day becomes tougher, Rox pushes away those who love her and her friendship squad begins to fracture. When the authorities finally catch up with her, there is only one solution: her friends. Rox and her girls embark on a courageous, joyous and at times precarious journey, bouncing between moments of wisdom and crippling innocence. A film about the resilience and spirit of girlhood.
“I am so honoured and excited that Rocks will open Platform, a section that has included films by some of my recent cinema heroes,” said Gavron. “With Rocks we set out to collaborate with the young people in the cast, working in a way I have never worked before to create a film that feels true to the contemporary teenage girl experience. Like the London of our film, Toronto is filled with people from all walks of life, and the Festival has — in my experience — the most passionate audiences. It is very special for us to be invited with the cast for their first film premiere.”
The film is eligible for the Toronto Platform Prize, an award of $20,000 CAD given to the best film in the programme, selected by a three-person jury. Named after Jia Zhang-ke’s trailblazing second feature, the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform programme champions bold directorial visions.
Loading…