Michael Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones And Olivia Coleman Star In Trailer For Sam Mendes’ EMPIRE OF LIGHT

Searchlight Pictures has released the first trailer for EMPIRE OF LIGHT.

Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema, from Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes.

Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, announced that Mendes will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award. The TIFF Tribute Awards presented by BVLGARI will return to an in-person gala fundraiser during the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, September 11 at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

TIFF will be presenting the Canadian Premiere of Mendes’ most recent work, which he wrote, directed, and produced. Mendes made his feature film debut at the Festival in 1999 with the World Premiere of American Beauty, a TIFF People’s Choice Award winner, for which he was honoured with an Oscar in the Best Director category.

Called “catnip for cinephiles” by Bailey, watch the first trailer.

EMPIRE OF LIGHT features a stellar cast led by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Lost Daughter), BAFTA winner Micheal Ward (Blue Story, Top Boy), with Toby Jones and Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man). It also reunites Mendes with Academy Award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (1917, Skyfall).

In August it was announced that EMPIRE OF LIGHT would be the American Express Gala Film at the 66th BFI London Film Festival.

The film, produced by Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris’ Neal Street Productions, in partnership with Searchlight Pictures, will release theatrically in the US on December 9 and in the UK on January 13.

Sam Mendes said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be included in this year’s BFI London Film Festival as the AMEX Gala screening. Empire of Light is a very personal movie for me, and I can’t wait to show it in my home town.”