By: Sahra M
I was standing on the press line at Roy Thomson Hall when LISA walked right in front of me for the premiere of Always Lalisa. The reaction was immediate. As she made her way down the carpet, photographers called out for her attention while the crowd outside the theatre screamed her name. From where I was standing, it was one of the loudest arrivals I experienced during the festival.
Directed by Sue Kim, Always Lalisa follows the Blackpink star through an important period in her career, including the making of her debut album Alter Ego, her preparation for Coachella and her transition into acting with HBO’s The White Lotus. For anyone who has followed LISA since Blackpink’s early days, there is a lot of change to take in. She is now working across music, acting and fashion, with each bringing a different side of her career into focus.
Her connection to fashion was also on display that night. As a Louis Vuitton House Ambassador, LISA arrived in a custom brown velvet two-piece from the house, paired with black leather gloves, a studded choker and black satin pumps.
I had recently been watching LISA’s SaWaDiKa music video, which made seeing her at the premiere feel even more timely. Released shortly before the festival, the video celebrates her Thai heritage through its Bangkok setting, styling and cultural references. The response was immediate. SaWaDiKa passed 70 million views on YouTube within its first 24 hours and went on to reach more than 100 million views shortly after its release. Behind those numbers and the finished performances is the work audiences do not normally see.
That is where Sue Kim’s documentary comes in. The film follows LISA through the preparation behind the major moments captured in the film, giving viewers a closer look at the work involved before she steps in front of an audience or camera. Her move into acting brought a different kind of challenge. On The White Lotus, LISA entered a new environment and worked alongside an established television cast, adding another chapter to a career that had already taken her far beyond music.
What makes the documentary interesting is seeing these different chapters together. It captures a period when LISA was taking on new experiences while figuring out what she wanted the next stage of her career to look like. Standing on that press line, I was seeing a moment that felt very different from watching her performances or music videos online. LISA walked past, the cameras followed, and for a few minutes, the scale of her career was right there in front of me.
Always Lalisa premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11 and is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 12.
By Sahra Mohamed
Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Special Sense Magazine
Follow Sahra on substack @sahrareports.
