Sydney Sweeney through a sea of phones, Christy screening London

She is the still point in a swirl of arms, phones and eager faces. Wearing a soft pale gown that catches the warm glow of the carpet lights, her long honey-brown hair falls loose over one shoulder as she leans slightly forward, angling herself toward the barrier and the people pressed against it. Her smile is genuine rather than practised, eyes crinkling at someone just out of frame. Around her the scene is all motion: a raised camera phone in the foreground, a fan in a cap, a poster held hopefully aloft, and the dark-suited shoulders of security framing her on either side. Behind, a wash of orange and blue light turns the ordinary crush of an evening premiere into something cinematic.

This photograph was taken on 17 October 2025 at the BFI London Film Festival, where Christy was shown a month after its premiere in Toronto. Sweeney met the crowd on the red carpet and then introduced the film on stage. She plays the boxer Christy Martin, and is also one of the producers of the film.