Ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, Sony Pictures Classics has shared the first trailer for The Choral, the latest film from director Nicholas Hytner and screenwriter Alan Bennett following their acclaimed collaborations The Madness of King George, The History Boys, and The Lady in The Van.
Set in England in 1916 during the height of the Great War and starring Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Amara Okereke, Simon Russell Beale and Thomas Howes, the film follows a local choral society as they seek to recruit new members for a production of Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. Check out the trailer below…
1916. As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army. The Choral’s ambitious committee, determined to press ahead, decides to recruit local young males to swell their ranks. They must also engage a new chorus master, and despite their suspicions that he has something to hide, their best bet seems to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) – driven, uncompromising, and recently returned from a career in Germany. As conscription papers start to arrive, the whole community discovers that the best response to the chaos that is laying waste to their lives is to make music together.
The Choral is set to premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025.
