An image from the first feature film to be funded by the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Production Fund – ‘A Town in Nova Scotia’ – has been released ahead of the worldwide sales launch at Cannes Film Festival next week.
Filmed across the Liverpool City Region earlier this year, the film directed by Babak Jalali, stars Bill Nighy and Makram J Khoury. It was produced by Paradise City Films, and Liverpool’s Jennifer Monks, for North-West-based production company The Fold.
Following a plea from his daughter to join her in Nova Scotia, widowed Irish senior Leon (Nighy), instead launches a crusade to make his aging Liverpool building safer after news of a tower fire in London. On a mission alongside his neighbour and closest friend, Saleh (Khoury), Leon turns their fellow residents’ quiet lives upside down in a warm story of friendship, stubbornness and small acts of defiance.
Speaking about the feature, Babak Jalali said: “’A Town in Nova Scotia’ is about community and camaraderie in the latter phase of life and choosing how and with whom you want to spend that particular phase.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Paradise City Sales again after the wonderful experience I had with the whole team there on my previous film ‘Fremont’. I couldn’t wish for a more thoughtful, ambitious, dedicated and kind set of people to take this film out into this big, strange world.”
‘A Town in Nova Scotia’ is financed by BBC Film, BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Liverpool Film Office (through the LCR Production Fund), Calculus, Hoopsa Films and Desmar.
The film was co-written with Carolina Cavalli who collaborated with Jalali on ‘Fremont.’ Further creatives include ‘Saint Maud’ production designer Paulina Rzeszowska, ‘Great Freedom’ cinematographer Crystel Fournier who also worked on Céline Sciamma’s movies ‘Girlhood’ and ‘Tomboy’, ‘Adolescence’ and ‘Boiling Point’ costume designer Jessica Schofield, ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ hair and makeup designer Caroline Rose and ‘Aftersun’ BAFTA winning casting director Lucy Pardee.
Executive Producers are Kristin Irving for BBC Film, Ama Ampadu for the BFI, Christopher Moll for Liverpool Film Office, Sonny Gill and Peter O’Leary for Hoopsa Films, Naomi Despres and Michèle Marshall for Desmar, Brad Noel and Mariyah Dosani for Calculus. The film was developed with BBC Film.
The 79th Cannes Film Festival, runs from May 12–23, 2026
