The Graduates is a 2023 American drama film, written, directed, and edited by Hannah Peterson, in her directorial debut. It stars Mina Sundwall, Alex R. Hibbert, Yasmeen Fletcher, Ewan Manley, John Cho, Maria Dizzia and Kelly O'Sullivan. Chloé Zhao serves as an executive producer.
| The Graduates | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Hannah Peterson |
| Written by | Hannah Peterson |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Carolina Costa |
| Edited by | Hannah Peterson |
| Music by | Andrew Orkin |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | The Future of Film Is Female |
Release dates |
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Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 10, 2023, and was released on November 1, 2024, by The Future of Film Is Female.
Premise
editA young woman prepares to graduate high school following the death of her boyfriend to gun violence, a year prior.
Cast
edit- Mina Sundwall as Genevieve
- Alex R. Hibbert as Ben
- Yasmeen Fletcher as Romie
- Ewan Manley as Becker
- John Cho as John
- Maria Dizzia as Maggie
- Kelly O'Sullivan as Vicki
- Augustina Tang as Jazell
Production
editHannah Peterson was interested in telling a coming-of-age story set in the public school system, when Peterson began speaking to current and former high school students, the same anxiety of safety in schools kept popping up.[2] Peterson chose to keep gun violence off-screen in order to situate the plot on grief.[3] The script was initially written in chapters, but during post-production, the film was re-ordered.[4]
Release
editThe film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 10, 2023.[5] It went onto screen at the Deauville American Film Festival on September 5, 2023.[6][7] In September 2024, The Future of Film Is Female acquired distribution rights to the film and was released on November 1, 2024.[8]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.60/10.[9]
References
edit- ^ "The Graduates". Tribeca Festival. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Luers, Erik (June 20, 2023). ""How Do You Evoke the History of Violence in a Space Without Showing It?": Hannah Peterson on The Graduates". Filmmaker. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Kougell, Susan (June 12, 2023). "2023 Tribeca Film Festival - Interview with 'The Graduates' Filmmaker Hannah Peterson". Script. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Keane, Meagan (June 14, 2023). "Hannah Peterson's debut feature "The Graduates": A heartbreaking film crafted with Adobes Creative Cloud". Adobe. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (April 18, 2023). "Tribeca Festival's 2023 Film Lineup Includes 'Maggie Moore(s)' With Tina Fey & Jon Hamm, 'First Time Female Director', Marvel's 'Stan Lee' Doc, More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "The Graduates". Deauville American Film Festival. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Filmmaker Staff (July 27, 2023). "Deauville American Film Festival Reveals 2023 U.S. Indie Competition Titles". Filmmaker. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Saperstein, Pat (September 12, 2024). "'The Graduates,' Executive Produced by Chloé Zhao and John Cho, Gets Theatrical Release From The Future of Film Is Female (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ "The Graduates". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 28, 2023.