Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy from director Justin Kelly, based on one of the most famous literary gambits in American history will close this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Adapted from the memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy by Savannah Knoop, the film promises a boundary-breaking Closing Night Gala bursting with intrigue.
“With Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, Justin Kelly brings to the screen a truly unbelievable story that captivated a nation,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “The storytelling is powerful and the characters are vivid, really evoking the idea that you have to see it to believe it.
“I am beyond honored that my film Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy will premiere at TIFF as the Closing Night Film,” said Justin Kelly, director of Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy. “I can’t wait for people to see the fascinating true story behind JT LeRoy, brought to life via incredible performances by a total dream cast.”
This captivating true story goes beyond the headlines to reveal the most compelling literary hoax of our generation. Laura Albert (Laura Dern) is an author who writes under a fictionalized persona, a disenfranchised young queer man named JT LeRoy. When her debut novel becomes a bestseller and JT becomes the darling of the literary world, she comes up with a unique solution to preserve her anonymity while giving life to her nom-de-plume. Enter her boyfriend’s androgynous sister, Savannah Knoop (Kristen Stewart), who connects with Laura’s punk, feminist, outsider universe and agrees to be JT in the public eye. Together, they embark on a wild ride of double lives, infiltrating the Hollywood and literary elite — and discovering who they are in the process.
The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018.