Emilia Jones & Scoot McNairy in San Fran in ‘Fairyland’ Film Trailer

Emilia Jones & Scoot McNairy in San Fran in ‘Fairyland’ Film Trailer

by Alex Billington
August 15, 2025
Source: YouTube

“When I was your age, I couldn’t be there person that I wanted to be.” Lionsgate has finally debuted the trailer for an indie film titled Fairyland, which initially premiered back in 2023 at the Sundance Film Fest that year. It’s set for a release in theaters this October, almost 3 years from when it first premiered, but I’m glad it’s being given a proper release. Following the death of her mother, Alysia is uprooted by her father in hopes of restarting his life. They move to 1970s San Francisco where Steve develops his writing & begins to openly date men. Steve’s bohemian lifestyle clashes with the expectations of parenthood from the outside world and Alysia herself, who occasionally wishes for less of the independence her father gives her. As Alysia grows into a youthful woman on the cusp of adulthood, their bonds & duty to each other are tested in painful & sudden ways. Starring Emilia Jones as Alysia, Scoot McNairy as her dad Steve, with Cody Fern, Maria Bakalova, Bella Murphy, Nessa Dougherty, with Adam Lambert, and Geena Davis. Adapted from Alysia Abbott’s “Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father” book. I saw this at Sundance – good film, worth a watch.

Here’s the first official trailer for Andrew Durham’s film Fairyland, direct from Lionsgate’s YouTube:

Produced by Oscar winner Sofia Coppola and based on the acclaimed memoir of the same name by Alysia Abbott, Fairyland is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s spirited cultural scene in the 1970s & 80s. This captivating film chronicles a father and daughter relationship as it evolves through an era of bohemian decadence to the sober and heartbreaking era of the AIDS crisis. Fairyland is written and directed by American producer / filmmaker Andrew Durham, making his feature directorial debut after a few shorts & producing other projects, plus other work as a production coordinator previously. Based on the memoir by Alysia Abbott. Produced by Megan Carlson, Sofia Coppola, Andrew Durham, Greg Lauritano, Siena Oberman, Laure Sudreau. This originally premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival a few years ago, and it also played at many other fests that year including Frameline & Nantucket. Lionsgate debuts Durham’s Fairyland in select US theaters starting October 10th, 2025 this fall. Anyone intrigued?

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