Overview

• The film had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival’s Sala Grande, positioning it as a Golden Lion contender.
• Fastvold describes the work as neither a traditional musical nor a biopic, using original Shaker hymns and choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall to channel religious ecstasy.
• Seyfried detailed an intense vocal process with raw, non-melodic passages and spoke about the difficulty of adopting Ann Lee’s northern English accent.
• Mounted on a lean $10 million budget, the production emphasized tactile craft with 35mm photography blown to 70mm and practical set pieces, including filming on an operational 18th-century ship.
• Fastvold retained final cut with Brady Corbet directing second unit, Charades is handling international sales with CAA Media Finance overseeing North America, and early reviews praise the ambition while signaling a potentially divisive reception.