David Farnor | On 04, Mar 2021

Francis Lee’s Ammonite will be getting a premium VOD release later this month.

Starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan the drama takes place in the 1840s, where acclaimed self-taught paleontologist Mary Anning (Winslet) works alone on the wild and brutal Southern English coastline of Lyme Regis. The days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now hunts for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing widowed mother. When one such tourist, Roderick Murchison, arrives in Lyme on the first leg of a European tour, he entrusts Mary with the care of his young wife Charlotte (Ronan), who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary, whose life is a daily struggle on the poverty line, cannot afford to turn him down but, proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, she clashes with her unwanted guest. They are two women from utterly different worlds.

Yet despite the chasm between their social spheres and personalities, Mary and Charlotte discover they can each offer what the other has been searching for: the realisation that they are not alone. It is the beginning of a passionate and all-consuming love affair that will defy all social bounds and alter the course of both lives irrevocably. Both a heartfelt love-story and an examination of gender, class and society, Ammonite brings to life in vivid detail the life of a woman unappreciated in her own time. A pioneering paleontologist and passionate fossil collector, Anning’s findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking around the prehistory of the Earth and saw her named as one of the most influential women in British scientific history by the Royal Society after her death.

Starring Kate Winsley, Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Jones, the film premiered in the UK last year at the London Film Festival, which took place partly in cinemas and partly online. Now, it will finally be available to stream across the UK, with Lionsgate set to release the film as a rental on Friday 26th March. It follows a similar release for Lionsgate’s comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar last month. Ammonite will be available to rent for £13.99 on platforms including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, TalkTalk TV, Rakuten TV, Google Play, Sky Store and CHILI.

Here’s the trailer:

 

Francis Lee’s Ammonite to close London Film Festival 2020

26th August 2020

The BFI London Film Festival will close with Francis Lee’s Ammonite.

Starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan the drama takes place in the 1840s, where acclaimed self-taught paleontologist Mary Anning (Winslet) works alone on the wild and brutal Southern English coastline of Lyme Regis. The days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now hunts for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing widowed mother. When one such tourist, Roderick Murchison, arrives in Lyme on the first leg of a European tour, he entrusts Mary with the care of his young wife Charlotte (Ronan), who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary, whose life is a daily struggle on the poverty line, cannot afford to turn him down but, proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, she clashes with her unwanted guest. They are two women from utterly different worlds.

Yet despite the chasm between their social spheres and personalities, Mary and Charlotte discover they can each offer what the other has been searching for: the realisation that they are not alone. It is the beginning of a passionate and all-consuming love affair that will defy all social bounds and alter the course of both lives irrevocably. Both a heartfelt love-story and an examination of gender, class and society, Ammonite brings to life in vivid detail the life of a woman unappreciated in her own time. A pioneering paleontologist and passionate fossil collector, Anning’s findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking around the prehistory of the Earth and saw her named as one of the most influential women in British scientific history by the Royal Society after her death.

Lee said: “I’m thrilled Ammonite has been chosen to close the BFI London Film Festival. In these incredibly difficult times, it’s wonderful to see this film about intimacy, love and hope getting its UK premiere at LFF.”

The film will receive its UK premiere on Saturday 17th October and will be available to UK audiences at cinemas across UK who will also enjoy a virtual introduction from Lee and key cast.

Venues taking part in the Closing film preview include: Broadway, Nottingham, Cine Lumiere, Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Soho, Glasgow Film Theatre, HOME, Manchester, ICA, Prince Charles Cinema, Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, Showroom, Sheffield, Watershed, Bristol, Chapter Cardiff.

It closes out an innovative 12-day event, which takes the LFF out to cities around the UK, and with many films across the programme also available for virtual premieres at home. The festival will open on 7th October with Steve McQueen’s Mangrove. The full programme and how it will all work will be announced on 8th September.

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