Jesse Eisenberg’s ‘The Debut’ wins Middleburg Film Festival audience award

Jesse Eisenberg’s third directorial film, ‘The Debut’, won the audience award at the 14th Middleburg Film Festival. Starring Julianne Moore as a suburban wife who joins a community theater production, the film also features Paul Giamatti as an intense director. Following its premiere at Telluride, the film has generated significant awards season buzz for Moore and Giamatti.

Other notable winners at the Middleburg festival included Ava Duvernay’s ‘14th’ for best documentary feature and ‘La Bola Negra’ for best international feature. The festival also presented several honors, including the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award to Léa Seydoux and the Breakthrough Filmmaker Award to Jordan Firstman.