First Look Photo of National Treasures Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Francis Lee's Historical Lesbian Drama AMMONITE | The Fan Carpet Ltd • The Fan Carpet: The RED Carpet for FANS • The Fan Carpet: Fansites Network • The Fan Carpet: Slate • The Fan Carpet: Theatre Spotlight • The Fan Carpet: Arena • The Fan Carpet: International

First Look Photo of National Treasures Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Francis Lee’s Historical Lesbian Drama AMMONITE


15 May 2019

See-Saw Films, in association with BBC Films and BFI, have celebrated wrapping principle photography on AMMONITE with the release of a first look image. The still features Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Steve Jobs) as Mary Anning, and three-time Academy Award® nominated Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird, Brooklyn) as Charlotte Murchison.

The highly anticipated romantic drama, inspired by the life of the Victorian-era palaeontologist, is an original screenplay by BAFTA nominated writer-director Francis Lee. This is his sophomore feature, following God’s Own Country, which became the most commercially successful feature debut of 2017 and garnered a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film. Iain Canning and Emile Sherman from See-Saw Films (Widows, Lion, Shame) and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (Lady Macbeth, My Generation) are producing. The film is being co-financed by the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding) and BBC Films, with Mary Burke, Rose Garnett, Zygi Kamasa and Simon Gillis of See-Saw Films executive producing. See-Saw developed the drama with BBC Films and the BFI.

In 1800s England, acclaimed but unrecognised fossil hunter Mary Anning works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte, she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship.

Joining the previously announced Winslet and Ronan in the cast are Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), James McArdle (Mary Queen of Scots), and reuniting with Lee are God’s Own Country alumni Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones Diary) and Alec Secareanu (Baptiste).

 

 

Francis Lee comments on his inspiration for the screenplay “I first came across Mary Anning when I was looking for a fossil for my boyfriend. I was instantly drawn to this working-class woman who despite being born disadvantaged within a class-ridden, patriarchal society, rose to being one of the leading authorities in her field, but whose accomplishments went almost totally unrecognised by her contemporaries. She felt like a survivor despite all odds and I’m deeply drawn to characters within this context as they feel very close to me. There is virtually nothing written about her personally, largely because of her gender and class, but I knew I didn’t want to make a biography, I wanted to give her a relationship with someone that felt worthy of her. Within this I wanted to explore the dynamics of a relationship and how we navigate the sense of self within that. Above all I wanted to make sure I gave dignity and respect to elevate Mary Anning to the status she should have had when she was alive. History for me is a creative discipline based on interpretations.”

Iain Canning and Emile Sherman continue “Francis is unquestionably one of the most exciting and talented directors to have come out of the UK in the last few years. He is a writer director who connects with his material in a deep and sensitive way. We are delighted to be working with Fodhla on this special story with actors such as Kate and Saoirse who inhabit their roles and gift us performances that are both intimate and iconic. We look forward to sharing the film with audiences next year.”

International Sales are being handled by See-Saw’s in-house sales arm Cross City Films who have now sold out on international following the launch at Berlin earlier this year. The latest distribution deals have now been confirmed are Pyramide for France, Tobis for Germany/Austria, Ascot Elite for Switzerland and Gaga for Japan and Echo Lake Distribution for worldwide airlines. All of which supplement major pre-sales already announced including UK (Lionsgate), Australia and New Zealand (Transmission) and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions taking who took Asia, Italy, LatAm, Middle East, Scandinavia, South Africa, Spain and Turkey and all other international territories. Transmission take Australia and New Zealand. Cross City Films and CAA Media Finance will handle the North American sales.

Ammonite was shot on location in the historical hometown of Mary Anning – Lyme Regis, Dorset – and further locations in Surrey and London, with cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine (A Prophet, Rust and Bone).

Francis Lee is repped by Knight Hall and Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan are repped by CAA .

ABOUT SEE-SAW FILMS
Academy Award® winning producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman founded See-Saw Films in 2008. See-Saw is a UK, Australian and US company specializing in international film and television production.

See-Saw produced six-time Academy Award® nominated and two-time BAFTA winning Lion, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, and in 2011 won the Academy Award® for Best Motion Picture for The King’s Speech which swept up an additional three awards, from twelve nominations, as well as picking up seven BAFTAs, from fourteen nominations.

Recent film projects include Academy Award® winner Steve McQueen’s Widows, starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Brian Tyree Henry, Robert Duvall and Liam Neeson which was released by Twentieth Century Fox in 2018.

See-Saw’s upcoming film projects include Chris Morris’ The Day Shall Come, starring Marchánt Davis, Anna Kendrick and Danielle Brooks which will premiere at SXSW in March and Francis Lee’s Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, which starts shooting in March, 2019.

See-Saw’s television division formally started in 2012 and kicked off with the multi-award winning first season of Jane Campion’s ‘Top of the Lake’. Campion returned with ‘Top of The Lake: China Girl’ starring Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman and Gwendoline Christie which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe.

‘The North Water’ written and to be directed by Andrew Haigh (45 Years), adapted from the novel by Ian McGuire, will shoot in 2019 for BBC Two. The company’s short form comedy series ‘State of the Union’ directed by Stephen Frears, written by Nick Hornby and starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd will premiere at Sundance 2019; ‘The End’ starring Harriet Walter and Frances O’Connor, written by Sam Strauss and directed by Jessica M Thompson and Jonathan Brough is currently in production. Previous productions include ‘The New Legends of Monkey’, See-Saw’s live action television series for Netflix, ABC Australia and TVNZ.

@SeeSaw_Films

ABOUT THE BBC
BBC Films is at the forefront of independent filmmaking in the UK, developing and co-producing around 12 films a year. In 2015 BBC Films was awarded the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Rose Garnett is the Director of BBC Films.

Upcoming BBC Films titles include Sacha Polak’s Dirty God, Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir starring Tilda Swinton and executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s directorial debut The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which will all premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in2019. Also upcoming is Monsoon written/directed by Hong Khaou and starring Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians); Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe; His House by first-time UK writer/director Remi Weekes; Yuli, written by Paul Laverty and directed by Iciar Bollain; James Kent’s The Aftermath with Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgård; Ben Wheatley’s Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, a unique collaboration between BBC Films, BBC Comedy and BBC Two; and Love, a partnership between BBC Arts and BBC Films with the National Theatre, based on the play of the same name.

Currently in post-production is Sean Durkin’s highly anticipated The Nest, starring Jude Law and Carrie Coon; Judy, directed by Rupert Goold and starring Renee Zellweger as the iconic Judy Garland; and Sorry We Missed You, written by Paul Laverty and directed by Ken Loach.

BBC Films’ current slate includes Peter Strickland’s ghost story In Fabric starring Oscar© nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste, which won Best Director at Fantastic Fest; London Film Festival’s closing night film Stan & Ollie, starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly; Ralph Fiennes’ The White Crow; Out of Blue, directed by Carol Morley and starring Patricia Clarkson; Mari, the debut feature for writer/director Georgia Parris; VS. starring up-and-coming Connor Swindells; and Evelyn, from Oscar© nominated documentary filmmaker, Orlando von Einsiedel.

Twitter: @BBCFilms

ABOUT THE BFI
The BFI Film Fund invests over £50 million of National Lottery funding a year into developing and supporting filmmakers with diverse, bold and distinctive films, that have a cultural relevance or progressive ideas, and which reflect people from different backgrounds, as well as a range of activities to increase the opportunities for audiences to enjoy them.

The BFI’s slate includes Francis Lee’s debut feature, the award-winning God’s Own Country, Oscar and BAFTA-nominated Cold War which brought Pawel Pawlikowski the Best Director award at this year’s Cannes; Aquarela, filmed at a rare 96 frames-per-second by innovative filmmaker Victor Kossakovksy; Chiwetel Ejiofor’s feature directorial debut The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind; Tinge Krishnan’s vibrant romantic musical Been So Long starring Michaela Coel and Arinzé Kene; Wash Westmoreland’s Colette starring Keira Knightley and Dominic West about the Belle Epoque French novelist who challenged Parisian society with her unconventional life; William McGregor’s Gwen, starring Maxine Peake, nominated for Toronto’s Discovery and People’s Choice awards; Peter Strickland’s In Fabric starring Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Gwendoline Christie; Gabrielle Brady’s Island of the Hungry Ghosts, named best documentary feature at the Tribeca Film Festival; The Last Tree from acclaimed Shola Amoo which will enjoy its World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival; Postcards from London by Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominated filmmaker Steve McLean; Locarno Film Festival Special Jury Prize and BIFA Best Debut Director award-winner Ray & Liz by filmmaker Richard Billingham; Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir starring Tilda Swinton and Richard Ayoade; and Annabel Jankel’s Tell It to the Bees starring Anna Paquin and Holiday Grainger.

Currently in prep or production Chaplin from three-time BAFTA nominees Peter Middleton and James Spinney; Dirty God from Berlin Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize winner Sacha Polak; Craig Roberts’ Eternal Beauty starring Oscar nominated Sally Hawkins, Alice Lowe and David Thewlis; Untitled Girls Film from award-winning director Sarah Gavron and producer Faye Ward; Philippa Lowthorpe’s Misbehaviour starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha Raw and Jessie Buckley; Monsoon from Sundance-nominated filmmaker Hong Khaou and starring Henry Golding; Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn’s Normal People starring Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson; Sorry We Missed You from acclaimed and Cannes winning director Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty; Jessica Swale’s Summerland starring Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw; and Tim Travers Hawkins’ eagerly awaited XY Chelsea about whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

At the BFI we support, nurture and promote the art of film, television and the moving image. A charity, funded by Government and earned income, and a distributor of National Lottery funds, we are at the heart of the UK’s fast growing screen industries, protecting the past and shaping their future across the UK. We work in partnership with cultural organisations, government and industry to make this happen. We bring our world-class cultural programmes and unrivalled national collections to audiences everywhere, and promote learning about our art-form and its heritage. We support the future success of film in the UK by nurturing new voices and fresh ideas, enriching independent British film culture, challenging the UK's screen industries to innovate and defining Britain and its storytellers in the 21st century.

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Josh Berger CBE.

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