BAFTA Winner Mia McKenna-Bruce Lands Lead Role in Claire Denis’ New Film ‘The Cry of the Guard’

Mia McKenna-Bruce, the breakout star of the 2023 hit ‘How to Have Sex’ and the winner of this year’s BAFTA Rising Star Award, has landed a leading role in her next major film project.

The British actress will star in ‘The Cry of the Guard’ (Le Cri Des Gardes), the upcoming feature film directed by renowned French filmmaker Claire Denis. McKenna-Bruce will take over from Riley Keough in the lead role and will act alongside Matt Dillon and Isaach de Bankolé.

The film is based on Bernard-Marie Koltes’ play ‘Black Battles With Dogs’ and is being produced by French production companies Curiosa Films and Vixens, along with Senegal’s Astou Production and support from Arte France Cinema.

Written by Claire Denis, Suzanne Lindon, and Andrew Litvack, the movie takes place over the course of one night near a large construction site in Senegal. The story revolves around a group of workers who are confronted by a man seeking revenge for his brother’s death in a work accident. This film follows Denis’ previous successes, including ‘Both Sides of the Blade,’ which won at the Berlin Film Festival, and ‘Stars at Noon,’ which was recognized at Cannes.

Mia McKenna-Bruce’s career has been rising rapidly since the success of ‘How to Have Sex,’ which won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The film was distributed by Mubi, and McKenna-Bruce’s performance earned her the Best Lead Performance Award at the British Independent Film Awards and Breakthrough Performer of the Year at the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards.

She also joined the cast of ‘Sister Wives’, a queer drama film, and landed the lead role in Netflix’s upcoming ‘The Seven Dials Mystery,’ a series based on Agatha Christie’s work. The show, written by Chris Chibnall, creator of ‘Broadchurch’ and former ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner, also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Martin Freeman, and Edward Bluemel, and was filmed during the summer.

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