Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira is set to star in the Montreal-set indie romantic comedy Mile End Kicks for XYZ Films. Written and directed by Chandler Levack (I Like Movies), the film also stars Devon Bostick (Oppenheimer), Stanley Simmons (The Iron Claw) and Juliette Gariepe (Red Rooms).
The film is currently in production in Montreal, funded by XYZ through its New Visions initiative. The film is produced by Banner House Productions/Zapruder Films, in association with Rhombus Media.
Set in the summer of 2011, Mile End Kicks follows Grace Payne (Ferrera), a 24-year-old music critic who moves to Montreal to write a book about Alanis Morissette's “Jagged Little Pill.” Her plans take an unexpected turn when she becomes romantically involved with two members of the same struggling indie rock band and decides to become their publicist.
The film aims to capture the essence of Montreal's Mile End music scene, which produced artists such as Mac DeMarco, Arcade Fire and Grimes, and explores themes of romantic obsession and a young female writer searching for her voice.
Levack, whose first film, “I Love Movies,” premiered in Toronto in 2023 and won an Independent Spirit Award in Santa Barbara, based the screenplay on her experiences as a young music critic.
“Mile End Kicks” is produced by Matthew Miller (“BlackBerry”) and Pat Kelly (“Three Night Stand”) with Nev Fishman, Kevin Krickst, Fraser Ash, Barbie Ferreira, Matt Johnson, Adrian Love, Olivia Nassner, Tim Ringuett, Hayley Vickers, Tim Godsall, Ian Webb and Benji Weinstein serving as executive producers with Todd Brown and Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films and Julie Groleau (“The Decline”) serving as supervising producer.
The film is co-produced by Telefilm Canada and SODEC. Elevation Pictures will handle distribution in Canada, while Entract Films will handle the Quebec release. XYZ Corporation will handle international sales outside of Canada.
“With her feature debut, I Love Movies, Chandler has proven she has a rare ability to balance humor, emotion and style. She can turn laughter to tears in an instant, and in Mile End Kicks she captures the angst of young adulthood in the style of timeless classics like Reality Bites and Almost Famous,” said Todd Brown of XYZ. “It’s a charming, honest and funny film that we’re thrilled to help bring to the world.”
Ferreira is represented by Aperture Talent, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Highlight PR and Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan LLP. Bostic is represented by Gersh, Principal Entertainment, Noble Caplan Abrams and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light. Simmons is represented by Gersh and M88. Gariep is represented by Agence La Suite. Levack is represented by WME and Artists First.
