The Beloved Bestselling Novel THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY Is Brought To Life In An Inspirational And Life-Affirming Film

BASED ON THE BEST-SELLING BOOK BY RACHEL JOYCE STARRING JIM BROADBENT AND PENELOPE WILTON

Entertainment One (eOne) are pleased to share the first trailer and poster for THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, in cinemas in the UK and Ireland from April 28^th 2023.

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by award winning author Rachel Joyce, who also wrote the screenplay, the film is directed by BAFTA winner Hettie Macdonald (Howards End, Normal People).

The book was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, won the UK National Book Award for the New Writer of the Year and was the UK’s bestselling book from a new novelist in 2021. It has sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

Synopsis
THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY tells the story of a man who leaves his seaside town in South Devon to deliver a message to an old friend. Harold Fry was never meant to be a hero. He’s an unremarkable man who has failed at all the important things: being a husband, a father and a friend. Now, well into his 60s, he is content to fade quietly into the background of life. But when Harold learns his friend Queenie is dying, he is moved to act. He leaves home, walking to the post box to send her a letter, until he realises a letter is not enough. In that moment Harold decides to keep walking, all the way to her hospice, some 500 miles away in Berwick-upon-Tweed: as long as he walks, Queenie must live. Surprising himself as much as his wife Maureen, Harold embarks on a walk of hope, determined to travel the length of England to save his friend.

Starring Academy Award® Winner Jim Broadbent as Harold and Penelope Wilton as his wife Maureen, THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY is an uplifting tale of self-discovery, redemption and learning to seize the moment.

The film is an Essential Cinema/Free Range Films production, financed by Ingenious Media and the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding) in association with Embankment Films. Produced by Juliet Dowling, Kevin Loader and Marilyn Milgrom, the script was developed with Film4 and the BFI. Executive Producers are Rachel Joyce and Paul Venables; Peter Touche of Ingenious Media, Lizzie Francke of the BFI, Tim Haslam and Hugo Grumbar of Embankment.

Find THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY on Facebook: @HaroldFryFilm, Twitter: @HaroldFryFilm and Instagram: @HaroldFryFilm.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry Film Page

THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY will be in cinemas in the UK and Ireland April 28th 2023

About eOne
Entertainment One Ltd. (eOne) is a talent-driven independent studio that specializes in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. As part of global play and entertainment company Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS), eOne's expertise spans across film and television production and sales; production, distribution and brand management of kids and family properties; digital content; and immersive and live entertainment. Through its extensive reach and scale, and a deep commitment to high-quality entertainment, eOne unlocks the power and value of creativity.

eOne brings to market both original and existing content, sourcing IP from Hasbro’s portfolio of 1500+ brands, and through a diversified network of creative partners and eOne companies.

About Ingenious Media
For 24 years, Ingenious has been at the forefront of investing in the global creative economy and in that time has raised and deployed over $10 billion.  Ingenious has been involved in the production of a diverse slate of films, including the Academy Award® winning Judy, Life of Pi, Avatar, Selma, Academy Award® nominated Carol, Brooklyn and At Eternity’s Gate, five films in the successful X-Men franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, breakout British hits Military Wives, Blinded by the Light, Suffragette and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, as well as acclaimed television programmes such as The Fall, Dr. Foster and Watership Down.  Titles currently on release include David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future starring Viggo Mortensen, Stephen Frears’ The Lost King starring Sally Hawkins and Frances O’Connor’s directorial debut Emily starring Emma Mackey.

About BFI
The BFI Film Fund invests National Lottery funding into developing and supporting filmmakers with diverse, bold and distinctive projects, that have a cultural relevance or progressive ideas, and which reflect people from different backgrounds.

BFI supported titles won prestigious awards at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, with Triangle of Sadness, from writer/director Ruben Östlund and starring Woody Harrelson and Harris Dickinson, winning the Palme d’Or; and Aftersun, the feature debut by Scottish writer/director Charlotte Wells and starring Paul Mescal, winning the French Touch prize following its premiere in competition in Critics' Week.

Upcoming and recently released titles include Aleem Khan’s BAFTA-winning debut feature After Love, whose star Joanna Scanlan won the Best Actress Award; Brian and Charles directed by Jim Archer and written and starring David Earl and Chris Hayward, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; critically acclaimed ear for eye directed by debbie tucker green; striking VR animation Laika directed by Oscar®-winner Asif Kapadia; The Phantom of the Open directed by Craig Roberts, written by Simon Farnaby and starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins; True Things directed by Harry Wootliff and starring Ruth Wilson, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival; interactive VR experience Goliath: Playing With Reality directed by Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdalla and narrated by Tilda Swinton, which won the VR Expanded Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival; Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava, which premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and was selected for TIFF; Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir: Part II, which world premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2021; Terence Davies’ Benediction, which had its world premiere at TIFF and was selected for San Sebastian; and The Real Charlie Chaplin directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney, which had its world premiere at Telluride.

The BFI is a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK's lead organisation for film and the moving image.

Our mission is:

• To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers
• To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world's largest film and television archive
• To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals - delivered online and in venue
• To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding
• To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK's screen industries

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter.

The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Tim Richards.

About Embankment
Embankment is a ‘converter’ of high-quality IP and delivers entertainment to global audiences. Converting film and television IP to production and commercial exploitation by arranging financing and managing global distribution and collections. Embankment provide individually tailored solutions for filmmakers to finance films and TV. Specialising in financing of quality and award-winning films, the company procures pre-sales, tax-credit facilities, equity, mezzanine and gap financing for international producers, enabling filmmakers to manage their “owned” film assets.