Trudie Styler is following her feature film Up Against It with The Reception, a wedding-set comedy that was preparing to shoot in Scotland when she spoke to Deadline. Production began in late October. The films mark a new stretch of directing work for Styler, who says she is “in a happy place” behind the camera.
Up Against It is a London-set romantic comedy starring Antonio Banderas and Eva Birthistle as Alvaro and Saffron, a divorced couple brought back together when their daughter Rose’s cancer returns. The film premiered in Toronto, where Styler said the audience’s mix of laughter and emotion surprised her.
The story follows the couple as they consider IVF to conceive a child whose matching cells could help treat Rose. Styler researched the subject with NHS oncologists, including at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital. She said her interest was less in the medical premise than in how a long cancer treatment can put pressure on a relationship. The film also reflects her wish to portray London as a diverse city and the NHS staff involved in the family’s care.
The cast includes Forest Whitaker as an NHS oncologist, alongside Úrsula Corberó and Arinzé Kene as the couple’s new partners. Richard E. Grant, Mickey Sumner and Selana Tan also appear, while Eden Hamilton plays Rose. Styler said Banderas agreed to the role after asking for a change to the character: Peter, a barrister in the script, became Alvaro, a larger-than-life conductor.
Styler’s next project, The Reception, centres on a chaotic wedding party and features Jeff Daniels, Guy Pearce and Sabrina Impacciatore. Beta Cinema is handling sales of both films at the upcoming American Film Market, according to the interview.
Her route into directing began with a pause in acting in the early 1990s, when she was balancing motherhood with the demands of theatre and film work. She sought advice from producer David Puttnam, who became a mentor, and made her first producing credit with the 1993 documentary Boys from Brazil. She later produced documentary and fiction films through Xingu Films before launching Maven Screen Media with Celine Rattray in 2011.
Styler has backed emerging filmmakers through the years, including Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and Duncan Jones’ Moon. She made her fiction feature directing debut with Freak Show in 2018 and returned to documentary filmmaking with Posso Entrare? An Ode To Naples in 2023.
Maven, founded in New York and now based in London, is built around female-driven storytelling. Styler said that since the company became more UK-based, 90% of its films have been directed by women. She also cited Maven’s record since 2020: women have led 80% of its films, while women wrote 70% of them. The company’s slate includes American Honey, Novitiate and The Kindergarten Teacher, as well as more recent films such as Eleanor the Great and Christmas Karma.
Sources: Deadline.