Following 2018’s Peterloo, Mike Leigh has openly discussed how difficult it was to finance his next feature. Thankfully, he recently amassed the resources and quietly began production last year on his 23rd film, with the backing of Thin Man Films, The Mediapro Studio, co-financed by Film4 in association with Creativity Media, with Bleecker Street releasing the film in the US later this year, Studiocanal releasing in the UK, and Cornerstone Films handling international sales.
Titled Hard Truths, nothing was known about the project, but now Bleecker Street have unveiled the first image and details. Led by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who worked with Leigh on his 1996 feature Secrets & Lies and received an Oscar nomination for her performance, the film marks Leigh’s “return to the contemporary world with a tough but compassionate intimate study of family life.” The London-set film also stars Michele Austin (Secrets & Lies, Another Year).
Leigh was joined behind the camera by regular crew members––including producer Georgina Lowe, cinematographer Dick Pope, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, production designer Suzie Davis, composer Gary Yershon and casting director Nina Gold. New to the Mike Leigh team are editor Tania Reddin and make-up and hair designer Nora Robertson.
We wouldn’t be surprised if the film marks a return to Cannes for Mike Leigh, which we’ll find out in about two months’ time.