The first trailer and poster for one of the favourites to emerge out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The Florida Project, starring William Dafoe, have finally arrived.

Directed by Tangerine helmer, Sean Baker, The Florida Project stars Dafoe as the grumpy manager of the Magic Castle motel, in which newcomers, Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite play the six-year old Moonee and her unconventional Mother, Halley.

Read our 5 star review of The Florida Project

The trailer focuses on Moonee, and her young friends being kids, defying the rules the adults have laid at their feet and sweetly terrorising the other occupants of the motel until the tone turns along with Dafoe’s attitude to the little girl and her mother as the young family struggle with their turbulent life in which Halley turns to any means necessary to provide for her daughter.

The Florida Project Official Synopsis

Set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, The Florida Project follows six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince in a stunning breakout turn) and her rebellious mother Halley (Bria Vinaite, another major discovery) over the course of a single summer. The two live week to week at “The Magic Castle,” a budget motel managed by Bobby (a career-best Willem Dafoe), whose stern exterior hides a deep reservoir of kindness and compassion. 

Despite her harsh surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee has no trouble making each day a celebration of life, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and grand adventure as she and her ragtag playmates—including Jancey, a new arrival to the area who quickly becomes Moonee’s best friend—fearlessly explore the utterly unique world into which they’ve been thrown. Unbeknownst to Moonee, however, her delicate fantasy is supported by the toil and sacrifice of Halley, who is forced to explore increasingly dangerous possibilities in order to provide for her daughter.

The Florida Project