IFC Films will release Babyteeth, the powerful, coming-of-age feature debut from Shannon Murphy (“Killing Eve” Season 3) on June 19 in theaters and on demand.
Babyteeth starring Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Emily Barclay, Eugene Gilfedde, Essie Davis, and Ben Mendelsohn had its World Premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 where actor Toby Wallace won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor. The film was also an official selection of New Directors / New Films 2020, BFI London Film Festival 2019, and Chicago International Film Festival 2019.
When seriously ill teenager Milla (Eliza Scanlen) falls madly in love with small-time drug dealer Moses (Toby Wallace), it’s her parents’ (Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn) worst nightmare. But as Milla’s first brush with love brings her a renewed lust for life, traditional morals go out the window, leaving her parents wanting to hold tighter to their little girl. Milla soon teaches everyone in her orbit – her parents, Moses, a sensitive music teacher, a budding child violinist, and a disarmingly honest, pregnant neighbor – how to live like you have nothing to lose. What might have been a disaster for the Finlay family instead leads to letting go and finding grace in the glorious chaos of life. Babyteeth joyously explores how good it is to be alive and how far we will go for love.
Shannon Murphy is an award-winning theatre and TV director who graduated for the Australian Film and Television School in 2013. Her graduating short film, Kharisma, has screened at festivals including Cannes and TIFF, and was nominated for an AACTA award. Shortly thereafter, she won a Sydney Theatre Award for the Australian premiere of My Name Is Rachel Corrie. Most recently Shannon has directed a number of episodes on Australian hit series including Rake, Love Child, Offspring and Sisters. Shannon was nominated for an Australian Director’s Guild Award for her role as the sole director of the SBS 4-part mini-series On The Ropes.
Her first feature film, Babyteeth, produced by Jan Chapman with Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn starring, premiered in main competition at the Venice Film Festival 2019 as one of the two female directed films in competition, and Toby Wallace was awarded the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress. It was then presented in competition at the BFI London Film Festival. The film was sold in a bidding war to IFC in US & Picturehouse in UK. She is currently working on Killing Eve for BBC America / Sid Gentle. Shannon has been named in Variety’s ’10 Directors to Watch in 2020.
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