TRAILERS

Full Trailer for 'Empire of Light' Starring Olivia Colman & Micheal Ward

by Alex Billington
November 14, 2022
Source: YouTube

"Here's to getting back up, and here's to coming home." Searchlight Pictures has debuted the main official trailer for Empire of Light, the latest film from Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, Skyfall, 1917). It's described as an intimate love story about cinema set at an English coastal movie theater during the 1980s. Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward star in this poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema, captured by iconic cinematographer Roger Deakins. "Ward gives an exceptional performance opposite Colman, who realizes another remarkable character, equal parts sweet and shocking, as a woman filled with emotions that are considered socially inappropriate to express." The film's cast also includes Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke. With music by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. After premiering at Telluride and Toronto, with screenings in Woodstock, Vancouver, and London, the film is opening in limited US theaters starting in early December.

Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Sam Mendes' Empire of Light, direct from YouTube:

You can rewatch the teaser trailer for Sam Mendes' Empire of Light here, for the first look again.

Synopsis for Mendes' Empire of Light direct from TIFF: The Empire is the kind of movie house you don’t see too often anymore, framed by bright lights and a beautiful marquee, graciously inviting all into its red-velvet seats. Hilary (Olivia Colman) serves at the front of house, opening the theatre every morning and overseeing a brimming concession stand. Meanwhile, her manager (Colin Firth) calls her into his office from time to time for illicit favours. It’s a gloomy routine that Hilary grudgingly repeats, but all her co-workers recognize that she’s been a lot quieter since returning to the job after a long absence. When Stephen (Micheal Ward) arrives as an eager new employee, the two form a quick, if outwardly unlikely, connection. Hilary hides a troubled past, struggling to manage her mental health, while Stephen, a young Black man, grapples with the racism rampant in 1980s Britain. Both wounded by aggressions outside their control, they find an escape and safe harbour in one another — but their relationship, like the Empire cinema itself, cannot last forever, and soon they must face the reality of their differing futures. (Review)

Empire of Light is directed by the acclaimed Oscar winning British filmmaker Sam Mendes, director of the films American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, Away We Go, Skyfall, Spectre, and 1917, as well as a few shorts and live theatre productions in the UK. The screenplay is also written by Sam Mendes. Produced by Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes. This first premiered at both the 2022 Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals this year. Searchlight Pictures will release Mendes' Empire of Light in select US theaters starting on December 9th, 2022 - right during the awards season. Who's planning to go see this?

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