NEON Announces December Release Date for ‘Clarissa’

Here is the press release from NEON announcing a December 11th, 2026 release date for Clarissa. Take a look:

NEON announced today that CLARISSA will open in select theaters on December 11, 2026. The second feature film from twin brother directing duo Arie and Chuko (EYIMOFE (This is my Desire)) had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight section. It became the second Nigerian feature selected in the history of the Festival.  The film received vast critical acclaim including from The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis who wrote “the movie counts as one of the few genuine discoveries” and “was one of the most exciting movies playing during the Cannes Film Festival.” A bold reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s landmark novel Mrs. Dalloway, CLARISSA was widely praised for its exceptional ensemble cast, with Academy Award® nominee Sophie Okonedo and breakout star India Amarteifio earning particular acclaim for their performances across different decades as the titular character.

Cast by the legendary Academy Award® nominee Nina Gold, the ensemble also includes Golden Globe® nominee David Oyelowo, Emmy® Award winner Ayo Edebiri, Toheeb Jimoh, Fortune Nwafor, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Jude Akuwudike, Danny Sapani, Modesinuola Ogundiwin, Chuks Joseph, Kehinde Cardoso, Jable Osai, and Joke Silva. Directed by Arie and Chuko and written by Chuko, the film was produced by Per Capita Production’s Theresa Park, Invention Studio’s Nicholas Weinstock, and Arie and Chuko Esiri, with cinematography by Jonathan Bloom, editing by Blair McClendon (AFTERSUN), music by Kelsey Lu, costume design by Eniola Dawodu, and production design by Hanrui Wang. Shot entirely in Nigeria, CLARISSA is a bold cinematic portrait of modern Nigeria, bringing one of literature’s most enduring works into conversation with a contemporary African metropolis and its complex sociopolitical tapestry.

CLARISSA follows society woman Clarissa (Okonedo) as she prepares to host a party at her home in Lagos, Nigeria, where she will unexpectedly encounter once-intimate friends from her youth. As the group reflects on their shared past over the course of a single night, memories of their intricate relationships, passionate love, hidden desires, and lost aspirations give rise to bittersweet reckoning.

Clarissa joins NEON’s award-winning 2026 slate, alongside Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner, Fjord, James Gray’s Paper Tiger, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes prize winner, All of a Sudden, Director Na’s Hope and William and David Greaves’s Once Upon a Time in Harlem. Earlier this year, the studio received recognition at the 98th Academy Awards®, including Best Picture nods for Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent (with the former ultimately winning Best International Feature Film) – recent milestones including the record-breaking IMAX opening of EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert and Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice crossing $10 million domestically. Most recently, the company released Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters and Adrian Chiarella’s Sundance hit, Leviticus.