Slauson Rec, a new documentary film from first-time director Leo Lewis O’Neil, is debuting at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a telling of the story of Shia LaBeouf’s failed theatre school and collective, also called Slauson Rec. The film was a last-minute addition to the festival, being announced only a week before it opened. While not being a part of the production, Shia LaBeouf has offered his full support for the film and will even be attending its world premiere in Cannes. However, he has yet to see the film, so he will be experiencing it for the first time just like everyone else. When asked about his relationship with the director, he said, “I see Leo and it’s all love. We love each other deeply.”

O’Neil is not an actor, but he showed up in 2018 when LaBeouf publicly announced his theatre experiment. Instead of acting, O’Neil filmed and documented the events taking place at LaBeouf’s establishment. When asked to describe the film, O’Neil said, “I describe it as my experience through this family that I found in an art community in South Central L.A. at a time in my life when I was living down the street. It’s hard for me to pitch this thing because it is so personal. It’s hard for me to say, “Hey, this is my life and why it matters.” But there are universal themes in it, and it’s a complex portrait of not only Shia but of the group. These are people who were my best friends, collaborators, and family.”

The film will discuss found family, the strenuous process of acting, and the difficulties that came along with Shia LaBeouf being the center of it all. The film will be shopped around at the Cannes Film Festival and will hopefully find a distributor for public consumption.