“Leave The World Behind,” with Mahershala Ali & Myha’la, Will Have Its World Premiere At 2023 AFI Film Festival
The American Film Institute announced the 2023 AFI Fest will open with the world premiere of director Sam Esmail’s “Leave the World Behind.” The premiere will take place in Hollywood on October 25th. The 37th edition of the festival begins that evening and runs through October 29th.
Based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name, the film is written and directed by Esmail, with Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. Ethan Hawke, Myha’la Herrold, Kevin Bacon, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans round out the cast.
Amanda (Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.
Mahershala Ali replaced Denzel Washington, who was originated paired with Roberts.