Opening Night Film

Opening Night Film (Drive-In)

AMMONITE

Dir. Francis Lee, United Kingdom, 2020, 120 mins

This tremendously textured tale of two 19th-century women discovering their true passions and authentic selves stars Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet and multiple Academy Awardnominee Saorsie Ronan in the stunning second feature from alum Francis Lee, whose enduring GOD’S OWN COUNTRY was celebrated as NewFest’s International Centerpiece in 2017.

In 1840s England, noted yet undervalued paleontologist Mary Anning (Winslet) searches the misty coastline for signs of past life in rocks and boulders. When a wealthy potential patron arrives and asks Mary to oversee his melancholic wife Charlotte’s (Ronan) well-being, Mary reluctantly allows Charlotte to shadow her fossil-hunting work on the shore. Amid the restorative fresh sea air, the two discover their own internal awakenings are hidden beneath austere exteriors and ready to erupt.

Winslet and Ronan contribute towering and skillful performances that are fully aligned with Lee’s humanistic portrait and tactile landscapes and receive sterling ensemble support from Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones, James McCardle, and Alec Secareanu. Lee and the cast take a giant visionary leap in the artistic search for human truth and connection, making AMMONITE a gorgeously crafted new landmark of contemporary world cinema.

Writer: Francis Lee Cast: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, Fiona Shaw, James McArdle, Alec Secareanu

Friday 10/16 @8pm The Queens Drive-In at Corona Park

Kate Winslet will virtually present Francis Lee with the inaugural NewFest World Queer Visionary Award as part of the evening’s festivities!

This film will exclusively play at The Queens Drive-In, Corona Park.