Starring BAFTA award winner Rhys Ifans (Inheritance, House of the Dragon) and three-time Oscar nominee, Emmy and Golden Globe award winner Laura Linney (Ozark, Love Actually), Onwards and Sideways is the emotional and surprisingly funny story of two people with lots in common – a great sense of humour, a love of adventure, and an unexpected diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

Tony (Rhys Ifans) is deputy headteacher of a primary school. Emma (Laura Linney) is a musician and composer, and a single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other, until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives. On the same morning, they are both confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.

Onwards and Sideways is their story – a friendship which unfolds unexpectedly. A story of humour, courage, music, movement and the transformative power of human connection. Challenging assumptions, the film celebrates the capacity to find joy, freedom and hope, even in life’s most difficult moments.

Rounding off the film’s stellar supporting cast is Monica Dolan (Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Sherwood) and Rory Kinnear (The Diplomat, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power).

Following the film’s highly anticipated World Premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in a TIFF Gala Presentation on 13 September, Onwards and Sideways will be released in UK cinemas from 6 November by Icon Film Distribution and shown on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later in the year.