Julia Fox set to make directing debut with ‘gritty’ coming-of-age movie

Julia Fox is stepping behind the camera for her first feature-length directorial project.

The actress, model and writer is set to make her feature directing debut with Sixth Avenue Saints, a coming-of-age film that she has also written.

The movie is a period piece set in 1993, against the backdrop of pre-gentrification Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan. According to the production, the story follows Luan, a sensitive 12-year-old growing up in a fractured household in Coney Island.

Luan’s life changes when he meets Frankie, a fearless homeless street kid surviving on his own in downtown New York. Frankie introduces Luan to a hidden side of the city, including its piers, queer street life, hustlers, sex workers, drug users and other people living on the margins of society.

The film is already in the casting process, with production seeking extras who can bring an authentic Brooklyn and New York City atmosphere to the project.

Casting notices are reportedly looking for adults between the ages of 35 and 79. According to industry site Backstage, the production is offering $20 per hour, with a guaranteed minimum of $100 per day. Professional acting experience is not required.

Fox, 36, first gained widespread attention with her breakout performance in the Safdie brothers’ 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems, in which she starred opposite Adam Sandler.

Since then, she has developed a career across acting, modeling, writing and fashion, becoming a prominent figure in New York’s downtown cultural scene. Her move into directing is not entirely new. In 2021, Fox wrote and directed the short film Fantasy Girls.