Sean Prince Williams made his name with cinephiles as the DP on several recent movies like the Safdie Brothers‘ “Good Time,” Alex Ross Perry‘s “Her Smell,” “Tesla,” and Abel Ferrara‘s “Zeroes And Ones.” Now it’s his turn to sit in the director’s chair. The Match Factory brings Williams’ directorial debut, “The Sweet East,” to the Cannes Film Festival this year, where it has its world premiere as part of the Directors’ Fortnight.
“The Sweet East” follows a high school senior whose class trip to Washington, D.C. also leads her on a fairy tale journey into the fractured heart of America.
Here’s an official synopsis for the film, courtesy of The Match Factory:
The Sweet East is a picaresque journey through the cities and woods of the Eastern seaboard of the United States undertaken by Lillian, a high school senior from South Carolina who gets her first glimpse of the wider world on a class trip to Washington, D.C. Separated from her schoolmates, she embarks on a fractured fairy tale travelogue into America, where she is granted access to a variety of the strange factions that proliferate the present-day unreality of contemporary life.
Along with Williams as director, “The Sweet East” boasts an impressive ensemble cast. “Do Revenge” actress Talia Ryder leads the cast, with “Red Rocket” star Simon Rex also on board. Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria” fame is also here, as is Earl Cave, Jeremy O Harris, “The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri, and Rish Shah.
Film critic and programmer Nick Pinkerton pens the film’s script. Marathon Films and Base 12 co-produce the film, with The Match Factory helping to handle sales in North America.
“The Sweet East” marks the fifth film for The Match Factory at Cannes 2023. The other four films premiere in competition for the Palme d’Or: Wim Wenders‘ “Perfect Days,” Aki Kaurismäki‘s ‘Fallen Leaves,” Alice Rohrwacher‘s “La Chimera,” and Marco Bellocchio‘s “Kidnapped.”