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Twenty years after its theatrical release, Joe Wright’s luminous Jane Austen adaptation “Pride & Prejudice” continues to delight fans — we’re talking hand flex freaks, “a million times yes” devotees, and anyone who loves a romantic reunion in a dawn-lit field — and is preparing for a very well-received theatrical re-release next month.

That’s good news for fans, but perhaps even better news for some of its many wonderful cast members, including three-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, who made her film debut in the feature as the delightfully ditzy fourth Bennet daughter Catherine (better known as Kitty).

During a recent interview with Mulligan in support of her latest role in the charming “The Ballad of Wallis Island”, I mentioned that a recent article sharing the news of the upcoming re-release of the film for its 20th anniversary was met with huge interest from our readers.

“What?,” a delighted Mulligan responded.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is directed by James Griffiths, who candidly talks at SXSW about the One person he would never reunite with for a suitcase full of cash. Tom Basden talks about the band not even his longtime collaborator Tim knew about, and Carey Mulligan talks about the song she blasts and sings at the top of her lungs. Hornswaggled Wormold forever.

Charles, a strange lottery winner who lives alone on a secluded island, tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favorite musicians, Herb McGwyer, to perform at a special, private event.

In theaters May 30, 2025.

For our next special event screening, Collider is proud to be partnering with Focus Features to extend an exciting offer to our readers. From the Sundance and SXSW Official Selection, we’re thrilled to offer the chance to see The Ballad of Wallis Island, starring Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, in theaters before the film’s official theatrical release date. Read on for the full details on how you can enter for a chance to win free tickets to this early screening in Los Angeles.

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” (2025) occupies a niche of “feel-good” cinema that has been strangely dormant within the past few years. Given how frequently mid-budget films aimed at adults are sent to streaming services, and how infrequent it is to see earnest character dramas that aren’t intended to be award season contenders, there is an aspect of “The Ballad of Wallis Island” that feels deliberately old-fashioned. It’s no coincidence that the film takes place in a secluded location in which technology and tourism culture seems to have been cut off in the 1980s; while it isn’t a period piece, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” goes out of its way to not invoke any aspects of modernism that could complicate its heartfelt premise.

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” centers on the washed-up folk singer Herb McGwyer (John Basden), who accepts an unusual letter from the proclaimed fan Charles...

McGwyer and Mortimer haven't played together in about a decade. McGwyer's moved on, he's got a solo career, but there's a request for the older material as part of an intimate gig at Wallis Island. How far the organiser is prepared to go to recapture the old days is part of the film's bittersweet charm. The consequences of that are the source of its comedy.

As it screened as the Glasgow Film Festival's 'Surprise Film', I heard the couple behind me say that The Ballad Of Wallis Island wasn't the kind of film they'd normally go to see. That's one of the joys of the Surprise Film, which has given audiences fare like War Pony, Spring Breakers, Calvary and more. I didn't note any walkouts but as is traditional for film festivals I was near the front. I did note that those who seemed to enjoy it most...

At first glance, James Griffiths’s The Ballad of Wallis Island may look like just another overly precious, insufferably twee indie dramedy. Surely, its initial setup isn’t especially promising: A two-time lottery-winning millionaire, Charles (Tim Key), hires both musicians from his favorite, long-defunct folk duo, McGwyer Mortimer, to perform a private show for him on the remote Welsh island on which he lives. That the two crooners, Herb (Tom Basden) and Nell (Carey Mulligan), are former lovers who haven’t spoken for nearly a decade only adds to the potential for egregious heart-tugging and nostalgic reminiscences.

And yet, The Ballad of Wallis Island plays both its drama and comedy in decidedly minor keys, straining neither for grand emotional revelations nor big laughs. The film instead heavily relies on the delightfully idiosyncratic central performance by Tim Key—who co-wrote the film with co-star Tom Basden—to retain a carefully calibrated...

Exclusive: The Sonoma International Film Festival announced the lineup for the 28th annual edition of the event, running March 19-23 in California’s bucolic wine country. Kicking off the festival will be the world premiere of Sweet Störy, a documentary that follows “a heartfelt journey to save a charming café” on a remote Swedish island.

Siff also will feature the world premieres of Roush Niaghi and Greg Morris’s Ali Eats America; Fernando Guillermo Barreda Luna’s Cafe Chairel, and Fatal Watch, directed by Mark Benjamin and Katie Carpenter. The festival will host the North American premiere of Dreams, the film directed by Dag Johan Haugerud that won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last month.

Daisy Edgar-Jones in ‘On Swift Horses’

The Siff Centerpiece Film will be the California premiere of On Swift Horses, the drama starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi that’s based on the Shannon Pufahi novel.

"I know you miss this..." "I miss our music." Focus Features has unveiled trailer #2 for the British musical titled The Ballad of Wallis Island, arriving in theaters this March in the US. This recently premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival to some of the most positive reviews from the festival, praising it for how charming it is: "feels like a warm hug." The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on an island and dreams of getting his two favorite musicians, Mortimer-McGwyer (Carey Mulligan & Tom Basden) back together again. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig. The three of them star together on this beautiful island off the coast of Wales in this funny,...

Fresh off its buzzy Sundance world premiere last month, “The Ballad Of Wallis Island‘ hits theaters in March. A good time, then, for Focus Features to debut a new trailer for the comedy, about an eccentric lottery winner who summons his favorite musicians to his remote island getaway for a reunion concert — just for him.

Read More: ‘The Ballad Of Wallis Island’ Review: A Folksy British Comedy Than Croons & Charms [Sundance]

Carey Mulligan, Tim Key, and Tom Basden star in the film, which looks like quite the crowd-pleaser.

Continue reading New ‘The Ballad Of Wallis Island’ Trailer: The Buzzy Sundance Comedy Hits Theaters On March 28 at The Playlist.

If you’ve ever dreamed of trapping your favorite broken up band of ex-musicians and lovers on an island, have we got the trailer for you! Today, Focus Features has dropped the latest look at their upcoming film, The Ballad of Wallis Island, the newest title from director James Griffiths. Starring Tim Key (See How They Run), Tom Basden (Venice at Dawn) and Carey Mulligan (An Education), the movie follows one man’s dream of reuniting his favorite folky duo — something he achieves after striking gold with a big lottery win.

Comedians Tim Key and Tom Basden write and star in musical comedy The Ballad Of Wallis Island, here’s the trailer.

Comedian Tom Basden has had some success in feature films over the last few years, writing the scripts for Amazon Prime Video’s successful festive features Your Christmas Or Mine? and its sequel, as well as co-writing sitcom Plebs.

Tim Key, meanwhile, comes up with many of the tasks on Taskmaster, as well as acting in shows like Inside No 9 and alongside Steve Coogan in many Alan Partridge projects as Sidekick Simon. They began working together onstage in the sketch group Cowards, which also included Sefan Golazewski, who went on to write the award winning Him and Her and Mum.

Key and Basden have joined forces to write and star in musical comedy film The Ballad Of Wallis Island, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

The Sundance Film Festival is a huge stepping stone for independent filmmakers to make a name for themselves. The festival, in particular, has been a launching pad for filmmakers and creative artists to adapt a previously existing short film into a feature. This is exactly the route taken by director James Griffiths, who adapted his 2007 BAFTA-nominated short film (The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island) into the feature film premiering at Sundance, The Ballad of Wallis Island. The film, co-adapted to screenplay by the original writers, Tom Basden and Tim Key, and starring the three-time Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan, follows a lottery winner (Key) who lives alone on a secluded island and tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favorite artist to perform a special event.

While the Sundance Film Festival mulls a big move for 2027, the 2025 program, its 41st edition, kicked off January 23 in Utah, and you can look below for all of Deadline’s reviews from the fest.

Sundance founder Robert Redford promised that audiences “can expect a 2025 program that showcases varied and vibrant filmmaking globally.” Running through February 2, the lineup includes more than 85 features and six episodic projects set to screen in Park City, Salt Lake City and online.

Below is a compilation of our reviews from the fest. Click on the movie’s title to read our full take.

Atropia ‘Atropia’

Section: U.S. Dramatic Competition

Director-screenwriter: Hailey Gates

Cast: Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Chloë Sevigny, Tim Heidecker, Jane Levy

Deadline’s takeaway: Ripe with aughts nostalgia around the Og iPod, frosted lip gloss and Guy Fieri’s favorite flame-printed shirts, Atropia is ultimately a clever meditation on the atmosphere of war...

There are only a handful of dramedies in recent years that have been just as endearing as they are timeless. Perhaps the likes of Juno, The Truman Show, andBegin Again may come to mind – flicks that induce just as many belly laughs as they do heartfelt tears. Writer/director James Griffiths’ The Ballad of Wallis Island is a quaint little film that fits such a bill. It presents itself as an innocent comedy infused with a bit of lovely folk music but reveals itself as a heartfelt tearjerker that sneaks up on you and will tear and gnaw at your heartstrings.

Sundance is a place for discovery, where new stars are minted because of the fresh, invigorating images they bring to the screen. It was where Steven Soderbergh helped kick off the indie film revolution in 1989 with “sex, lies, and videotape” and Quentin Tarantino launched “Reservoir Dogs” in 1992. They showed that, at Sundance, if you have something to say, you can have a seat at the table.

This year, that daring new voice belongs to Eva Victor, whose comedic character study “Sorry, Baby,” about a young professor reeling from a trauma, sold to A24 for $8 million. “Sorry, Baby” also has the distinction of placing first in many of the categories in IndieWire’s 2025 Sundance Critics Survey, including Best Performance (for Victor herself), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best First Film, and Best Film itself.

Though “Sorry, Baby” was the undeniable favorite across the board at Sundance 2025, our critics survey shared the love...

If there’s one word to describe this year’s Sundance Film Festival, it’s “uncertainty.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as this year’s festival was far more interesting than any festival has been since the Covid-19 pandemic. And, amazingly, despite all the challenges that came their way, Sundance’s organizers were able to make the event feel genuinely fun and memorable. So they deserve massive kudos for that.

The question that was in everyone’s minds at this year’s festival: where will the festival be come 2027? Next year, at least, will still be in Sundance’s long-time home of Park City, Ut, but after that, we could see the festival move to Boulder, Co, or Cincinnati, Oh — with the possibility of still staying in Park City and nearby Salt Lake City.

Then, there’s the issue of the festival’s online component, which saw two...

With 2025’s Sundance Film Festival wrapping up, the Institute responsible for the yearly indie forum is already cooking up plans for next year’s gathering. Dates have been set, with in-person events in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, stretching from January 22 to February 1, 2026.

In a statement shared with IndieWire, Acting CEO of Sundance Institute Amanda Kelso said, “The past 11 days of the Festival have been a meaningful opportunity to connect as a community in support of independent storytelling. We look forward to being reunited with audiences, artists, industry, and press next January for another edition of the Festival.”

Adding his excitement, Director of Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming Eugene Hernandez said, “As this year’s Festival comes to a close, we’re already looking ahead to 2026 and what will no doubt be an unforgettable experience! We invite you to save the date and get ready to join...

Sundance audiences have cast a bright light on Ryan White’s, Come See Me in the Good Light, by delivering a festival favorite prize on the feature film documentary.

Come See Me in the Good Light follows two poets, Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley, as they “go on an unexpectedly funny and poignant journey through love, life and mortality,” per the official festival description, spurred by the former’s incurable cancer diagnosis. The doc’s high profile roster of producers and executive producers includes such names as Tig Notaro, Brandi Carlile, Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Kevin Nealon and Sara Bareilles, among others.

“Throughout the festival we saw audiences moved by Andrea Gibson’s and Megan Falley’s journeys in Come See Me in the Good Light. Festival goers embraced the humor and heartbreak of this intimate documentary directed by Ryan White, as it speaks to art and love and reminds...

“If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it’s a folk song,” wryly observed Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn Davis. “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” a film that revolves around the reunion of a duo who once operated in that musical genre (albeit with a distinct rock inflection), meets such a definition. Little about this dramedy feels inventive or novel, but it’s startling how little that matters given the way it inspires an ear-to-ear grin from its opening moments.

Continue reading ‘The Ballad Of Wallis Island’ Review: A Folksy British Comedy That Croons & Charms [Sundance] at The Playlist.

The short-to-feature pipeline has led to some absolutely incredible films in the history of Sundance: Napoleon Dynamite, Obvious Child, and even this year’s The Ballad of Wallis Island. Actress and journalist Hailey Gates makes her feature debut as a writer-director with the satirical Atropia, an unfunny comedy that squanders its intriguing concept and talented cast.

Atropia Review

Atropia follows an aspiring actress who takes an unusual job: playing a role in war simulations in a training camp designed to replicate the streets of Iraq for U.S. soldiers. Things become even more complicated when she falls in love with another performer — a former soldier who has been cast as an insurgent.

Related Together Sundance Review — Dave Franco and Alison Brie are Unforgettable in Hilarious and Scary Body Horror

While this premise sounds like it would offer a biting satire of the war in the Middle East, Atropia feels frustratingly out of touch.

Nostalgia and the ache of moving on permeate every frame of The Ballad of Wallis Island, lending an air of precious sentimentality that threatens to slide into the saccharine. But James Griffiths’ tender comedy-drama also has a ton of heart, a generosity of spirit and an ultimately disarming sweetness that make it sneak up on you, cynicism be damned. It’s also quite funny, in an eccentric, decidedly British way that you either tap into or you don’t. Imagine John Carney’s Once plonked down in the middle of a reluctant buddy movie about finding hope in loss and you’re halfway there.

There’s probably no way to describe the film without making it sound twee. But the performances are so lived-in that what could have been an overdose of whimsy instead acquires emotional substance in its reflections on life, above all on accepting the sadness and regrets...

Sometimes, a good, old-school, charming romantic comedy comes along that doesn’t reinvent the formula but still finds new humanity in the tried and true. The Ballad of Wallis Island is that film — quaint but unexpectedly moving in its slightness, with great performances and a script that is both hilarious and emotional.

The Ballad of Wallis Island Review

Adapted from a short film that was released almost two decades ago, The Ballad of Wallis Island follows a folk singer part of a once-popular dissolved folk duo who takes a private gig performing for a superfan, soon discovering that said fan hopes to reunite him with his former creative partner and ex-lover. While this movie’s journey to the screen is as unlikely as they come, audiences should be delighted that it did, as this is simply one of the most adorable films you will see this year.

Related Sly Lives!

Exclusive: O-t Fagbenle and Sian Clifford have joined as series regulars and Ronny Chieng in a recurring role in Peacock’s upcoming comedy, The Miniature Wife. Details regarding their characters are under wraps.

They join series leads and executive producers Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen and cast Zoe Lister-Jones and Sofia Rosinsky in the series created and executive produced by Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner, who also serve as showrunners.

Based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzalez, The Miniature Wife is a high-concept marital comedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses, Lindy (Banks) and Les (Macfadyen), after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis.

Greg Mottola will direct the first two episodes and serves as an executive producer alongside Banks, Macfadyen, Ames, Turner, Michael Aguilar and Michael Ellenberg and...

It’s a good thing Tim Key is so “charming,” as his comedy and writing partner Tom Basden puts it, because if his character in “The Ballad of Wallis Island” was any more annoying, he might threaten to derail the whole thing.

“He’s definitely the most dangerous in that respect that he can ruin the film,” Key said in the IndieWire Studio 2025 at Sundance, presented by DropBox. “Basically it’s getting to the point where you completely believe that this guy is in a living nightmare because he’s in this guy’s pocket, but not that spinning out into the audience of being, I can’t bear to watch this guy.”

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” stars Basden and Key revisiting characters they initiated at the start of their careers with a 2007 short film. In the short, a fading folk rock musician named Herb McGwire takes a private...

Director James Griffiths and actors/writers Tim Key and Tom Basden always meant to turn their 2007 short film “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island” — about a lottery winner who pays his favorite musician to come to his private island — into a feature film. They just didn’t anticipate that it would take 18 years.

Key, who reprises his role as the eccentric music fan Charles in “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” co-wrote the feature film with Tom Basden. “It felt like we’d missed a trick in a way, in having not done it for so long,” Basden, who once again plays musician Herb McGwyer, said while sitting in TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt. “We just all loved working with each other so much. We were all so passionate about that short when we finally galvanized ourselves to do it.”

The new film adds...

In James Griffiths’ delightfully eccentric comedy “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” Charles (Tim Key) is the kind of sweet human being you instantly want all the good things for. It might be tough, for instance, to feel genuinely happy that someone who isn’t in urgent financial need had won a big-time lottery twice — unless of course that person is Charles. The soft-spoken chap is so warm-hearted, open-handed and full of puns that you won’t actually mind that good fortune has repeatedly found Charles and allowed him to retire to a gorgeous (fictional) Welsh island, after he traveled all around the world.

A co-writer (along with co-lead and his longtime comedy partner Tom Basden), Key is the main reason this cozily windswept and romantically sea-sprayed fable — based on the trio’s 2007 short film “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island” — succeeds in earning the goodwill of the audience.

On day four of the Festival, Bill Condon’s highly anticipated Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Max Walker-Silverman’s sophomore feature, Rebuilding, will premiere at Eccles Theatre. Additionally, Hal & Harper; Selena y Los Dinos; Mad Bills to Pay; Oh, Hi!; Train Dreams, and Move Ya Body: The Birth of House will debut in Park City.

Walker-Silverman returns to Sundance with Rebuilding, his sophomore feature following the success of his 2022 debut, A Love Story. This American Western tells the story of a rancher (Josh O’Connor) who must rebuild his life and his family after a devastating wildfire destroys their farm. Meghann Fahy, Amy Madigan, and Kali Reis co-star alongside O’Connor. Cast and crew attended the premiere at the Eccles Theater, on Jan 26 in Park City.

Related: Sundance Film Festival 2025: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews

Sundance’s most buzzed-about film today...

You know when you hear a song and it transports you back to an era or a memory or a moment? It’s this involuntary mental reflex that can be marvelous, painful, or some combination of the two; all intensified by the emotion of the music that triggers it. This familiar phenomenon provides the backbeat for The Ballad of Wallis Island, a comedy that envelops you in its charm while plucking a serenade on your heartstrings. The film itself is an evocation of a memory for writers/stars Tim Key & Tom Basden and director James Griffiths––a feature shot in eighteen days based on a short film they made eighteen years ago.

Basden plays jaded musician Herb McGwyer, who arrives for a private gig by dinghy on the humbly majestic Welsh coast. Greeting him on the shore is Charles, the lonely eccentric (played delightfully by Key) who hired him to...

The snap, crackle and pop of vinyl marks the start of The Ballad of Wallis Island, a music-themed rom-com that’s half-whimsical com and half-unrequited rom. In the absence of a new film by John Carney, who has the template nailed down by now, audiences at Sundance lapped it up. Outside a festival atmosphere, however, its commercial prospects aren’t immediately clear, since the humor is exceedingly British and the references often seem kind of dated (perhaps a result of the film’s 18 years in development after starting life as a BAFTA-winning short in 2007).

The record being played is an album called Way Back When by McGwyer Mortimer, a folk duo who hit their peak in 2014, and the song — which tells “a story about a man who’s tired of life” — signals the arrival of one half of the band, Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden), at a remote island. The island...

They weren’t the biggest band in the world, but for awhile there, they were the biggest band in the world to Charles (Tim Key). Now that he’s alone and flush with cash, there’s nothing he’d like more than to reunite said band — known as Mortimer McGwyer, after members Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) and Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) — on his far-flung island home for a very private gig. What could possibly go wrong?

While James Griffiths’ “The Ballad of Wallis Island” is built on a smidge of deception — Nell and Herb long ago parted ways, both personally and professionally, and it’s quite clear Herb wouldn’t have agreed to such a gig if he’d known Nell would be there — the film is quite warm-hearted. Charles is a dad-joke-spouting oddball, and while his relentless spew of horrible puns and gags might initially rankle, they eventually speak...

Day 3 of the Sundance Film Festival continues with premiering films today, from writer Hailey Gates’ directorial debut, Atropia, to James Griffiths’ The Ballad of Wallis Island.

Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, and Hailey Gates graced the red carpet at the Eccles Theatre on Jan 25 for the premiere of director Gates’ comedy, Atropia. Produced by Luca Guadagnino, the film follows an aspiring actress who falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent while training at a military role-playing facility. Their nonsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance. The film also stars Tim Heidecker and Jane Levy.

Related: Sundance Film Festival 2025: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews

Later, Griffiths presented the premiere of his latest film, The Ballad of Wallis Island, starring Tom Basden and Tim Key, opposite Carey Mulligan, Sian Clifford, and Akemnji Ndifornyen. Basden and Key, longtime collaborators who previously brought their 2015 film Two Films About Loneliness to Sundance,...

Carey Mulligan revealed at the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance that she “just started” filming the second season of Netflix’s series “Beef.” The first season won Emmys for leading stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, so anticipation is high for the new episodes. The show’s second season will feature a new storyline and an entirely new cast, headlined by Mulligan, Oscar Isaac (with whom she starred in the Coen Bros.’ “Inside LLewyn Davis”), Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny.

“We just started. Almost everything [is different],” Mulligan told Variety’s Tatiana Siegel when asked about the new season. “But it’s still [creator Lee Sung Jin] being brilliant. It’s a completely new story and if I say anything else then a laser beam will appear on my head. But it’s very exciting.”

Another project Mulligan can’t talk about is Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? There were so many memorable days making the film—from our first meeting with producer Rupert Majende, who got behind the project and shifted the momentum, to Carey Mulligan saying yes to playing Nell that really led to us getting the film greenlit—but I think the day I’ll remember will be day seven, Sc 29, […]

The post “The First Day We Got Our Four Leads in a Room Together” | James Griffiths, The Ballad of Wallis Island first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? There were so many memorable days making the film—from our first meeting with producer Rupert Majende, who got behind the project and shifted the momentum, to Carey Mulligan saying yes to playing Nell that really led to us getting the film greenlit—but I think the day I’ll remember will be day seven, Sc 29, […]

The post “The First Day We Got Our Four Leads in a Room Together” | James Griffiths, The Ballad of Wallis Island first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The calendar has officially flipped on to 2025 and with that brings a new year, new hopes, and a new Sundance Film Festival lineup.

Today marks the first day of the annual independent film festival which takes place mountains of Park City, Utah.

Sundance has always been known for big stars in little films and the occasional massive breakthrough by an unknown.

This year looks very promising to deliver on both of those fronts.

The 2025 edition is in no short supply of recognizable names Benedict Cumberbatch, Jennifer Lopez, Coleman Domingo, Olivia Coleman, Jon Lithgow, Rebecca Hall, John Malkovich, and many others star in some of the most anticipated titles of the festival.

As with any Sundance comes a massive slate of incredible documentaries. Questlove returns to Sundance after debuting his Academy Award-winning Summer of Soul at the 2021 Festival. This year he brings Sly Lives!, a profile on Sly and the Family Stone.

The trailer for Carey Mulligan‘s new movie has been released!

The 39-year-old Oscar-nominated actress stars in the new movie The Ballad of Wallis Island alongside Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford, and Akemnji Ndifornyen from director James Griffiths.

The movie “follows Charles (Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Basden & Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.”

Keep reading to find out more…The Ballad of Wallis Island will have it’s world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in late January before its theatrical release on March 28.

It was recently announced that Carey has joined the cast of season two of an Emmy-winning Netflix series.

Sony Pictures Classics has announced that it will release its dramedy The Penguin Lessons, starring Academy Award nominees Steve Coogan (Philomena) and Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), in theaters nationwide on March 28.

The film is set to open against Focus Features’ Sundance entry The Ballad of Wallis Island, starring Carey Mulligan; Universal’s horror thriller The Woman in the Yard, A24’s Death of a Unicorn, starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd; and Amazon MGM’s Jason Statham action thriller A Working Man, among other titles.

Based on Tom Michell’s 2016 memoir of the same name, The Penguin Lessons is inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom (Coogan) discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down.

"We'll always have this island... and your beautiful music." Focus Features has revealed the official trailer for a new British musical called The Ballad of Wallis Island, arriving in theaters this March. It's set to premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival kicking off next week in Utah, before it hits select US theaters in just a months. "He's getting the band back together." The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on an island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, Mortimer-McGwyer (Carey Mulligan & Tom Basden) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig. The three of them star together on this beautiful island in this goofy, charming, sentimental musical comedy about getting back together.

What happens when an eccentric lottery winner gets his favorite band, now broken up, to play a show on his private island? Well, it hardly goes as planned, but because of that, “The Ballad Of Wallis Island” will surely be a favorite at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2025

Carey Mulligan, Tim Key, and Tom Basden star in the upcoming comedy, which hits theaters in early Spring.

Continue reading ‘The Ballad Of Wallis Island’ Trailer: Musical Comedy Starring Carey Mulligan Premieres At Sundance On January 25, Hits Theaters On March 28 at The Playlist.

A musical reunion becomes the gig from Hell in the new trailer for The Ballad of Wallis Island. Carey Mulligan stars in the new comedy from director James Griffiths. Focus Features will release the film in theaters on February 28, 2025. Griffiths is a veteran of TV, producing and directing series like Black-ish, Stumptown, and A Million Little Things. The Ballad of Wallis Island is his second feature film, after directing the Nick Frost/Rashida Jones dance comedy Cuban Fury in 2014.

Focus Features has set a March 28 limited release for The Ballad of Wallis Island, which is set to have its world premiere at this month’s Sundance Film Festival.

Pic follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.

The movie premieres on January 25 at 3 p.m. local time at the Eccles Theatre in Park City.

James Griffiths (director of A Million Little Things) helms off a screenplay by Tom Basden & Key. Rupert Majendie produced.

Mulligan is a Sundance veteran having premiered such movies there as 2009’s An Education; the Southern period drama Mudbound,...

Carey Mulligan is tapping into her offscreen rock roots with buzzy indie, “The Ballad of Wallis Island.”

Mulligan, who is married to Mumford & Sons founder Marcus Mumford, plays a musician in the Focus feature. The official synopsis reads: “‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’ follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden and Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.”

Sian Clifford and Akemnji Ndifornyen round out the cast. “Here We Go” sitcom star Basden and Key co-wrote the feature and also star in the Focus Features release. James Griffiths directs the comedy, which is set on the fictional titular Welsh island.

Harriet Walter is Margaret Thatcher in upcoming Channel 4 two-parter Brian and Maggie.

Trailer can be viewed above of the buzzy series from James Graham and Stephen Frears.

Starring the Succession alum opposite Steve Coogan, Brian and Maggie (previously Brian and Margaret) tells the story of when interviewer Brian Walden and the Iron Lady came together for her last ever TV interview. Little did they know they were about to embark on one of the most famous political exchanges of all time. The 45-minute showdown became a national talking point and helped set in train a series of events that ended with Thatcher’s resignation.

With shades of Frost/Nixon, the show will launch soon and comes from Coogan’s Baby Cow Productions. It was the first drama commissioned by Ollie Madden, Channel 4’s new head of drama and film.

The series will “ask whether the slow death of full-length...

UK filmmakers and talent have a strong showing at Sundance 2025, taking place from January 23 to February 2, 2025 in Park City.

Brides, the feature debut of theatre director and incoming Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall,premieres in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.The film, which is written by Suhayla El-Bushra,follows two troubled teenage girls who decide to run away to Syria, is produced by Neon’s Nicky Bentham and Marica Stocchi from Italian outfit Rosamont.

It was supported by the BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales, Welsh Government via Creative Wales, Great Point Media, the Italian Ministry of Culture Minority Co-production Fund,...

The next “A Real Pain” might be found in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival film lineup, which was announced on Wednesday.

Next year’s festival includes several big names, including Jennifer Lopez (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Carey Mulligan (“The Ballad of Wallis Island”), and Josh O’Connor (“Rebuilding”). Notable directors with films at the festival include Oscar winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (“Sly Lives! aka The Burden of Black Genius”), Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim (“Deaf President Now!”), and Oscar winner Barry Levinson (“Bucks County”).

This year, several top indie features premiered at Sundance, including “A Real Pain,” a top awards contender, and films like “Didi,” “A Different Man,” “Daughters,” and “Sugarcane.”

“The Sundance Film Festival remains steadfast in its commitment to elevating unique and urgent voices in independent storytelling. Audiences can expect a 2025 program that showcases varied and vibrant filmmaking globally,” said Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President.

“The Festival is...

Sundance Film Festival’s 2025 line-up comprises 87 features, nearly half of which are directed by women, and is crammed with new work by returning stars and indie stalwarts including Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jennifer Lopez, Isabelle Huppert, Mark Ruffalo, and Dev Patel.

Among anticipated highlights are the feature directorial debut of UK playwright and incoming Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall with her Bankside Films sales title Brides inWorld Cinema Dramatic Competition,about teenage friends who plan to travel to Syria.

Scroll down for the full line-up

Peter Hujar’s Day, a drama in Premieres about the New York portrait photographer...

The Sundance Film Festival is considering a big move for 2027, but the 2025 feature film and episodic programs find the Robert Redford founded gathering very much in its traditional wheelhouse with a mix of big-name projects, politics, and what might just be the next big thing.

See the full list of Sundance 2025 feature films (including world premieres) and episodic projects below.

“The Sundance Film Festival remains steadfast in its commitment to elevating unique and urgent voices in independent storytelling,” the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid star said today of the 41st iteration of the festival kicking off on January 23. “Audiences can expect a 2025 program that showcases varied and vibrant filmmaking globally,” Redford added of the 87 features and six episodic projects selected for screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and online next month.

It wouldn’t be Sundance without stars in plushy hooded ski coats, and they’ll be aplenty...

Following her recent Oscar-nominated role in Bradley Cooper’s dramatic biopic “Maestro,” actress Carey Mulligan is switching it up and returning to the world of comedy. Variety reports that Universal’s Focus Features has acquired the new Mulligan film “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” formerly known as “One For The Money.”

The pic hails from the director James Griffiths (“Cuban Fury”) and is produced by veteran British comedian Steve Coogan via Baby Cow Productions with a supporting cast that includes Sian Clifford (“Fleabag”) and Akemnji Ndifornyen (“Famalam”).

Continue reading Carey Mulligan Lottery Comedy ‘The Ballad Of Wallis Island’ Lands At Focus Features at The Playlist.

Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Carey Mulligan comedy “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” Variety can confirm exclusively.

They will release the film in the U.S. while Universal Pictures International is handling global distribution.

The film, which was previously titled “One For The Money,” is directed by James Griffiths (“Cuban Fury”) and produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow productions (“Philomena”).

The screenplay was written by Tom Basden (“After Life”) and Tim Key (“Great Expectations”), who also star in the film alongside Sian Clifford (“Fleabag”) and Akemnji Ndifornyen (“Famalam”).

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” tells the story of Charles (played by Key), an eccentric lottery winner who tries to reunite his favorite musical duo Mortimer-McGwyer (Mulligan and Basden) despite the fact they split up many years ago. Making things even more awkward, the musicians – Nell Mortimer and Herb McGwyer — were also once romantically involved with each other a la Sonny and Cher.

After the 96th Academy Awards honors were handed out on Sunday night, here’s a look at the next projects the Oscar nominees in the acting categories (supporting and lead) are planning to tackle:

Annette Bening

Nyad

The five-time Oscar nominee stars with Alison Brie and Sam Neill on Peacock series Apples Never Fall (March 14), an adaptation of a Liane Moriarty novel. Also this year, Bening stars in Poolman opposite Chris Pine in his feature directorial debut.

Emily Blunt

Oppenheimer

She stars opposite fellow Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling in David Leitch’s movie The Fall Guy, premiering at SXSW before Universal releases it May 3. Two weeks after that, Blunt can be heard voicing a unicorn in husband John Krasinski’s Paramount feature If.

Danielle Brooks

The Color Purple

The actress has been filming Jared Hess’ video game adaptation Minecraft with Jack Black, set for release from Warner Bros. in 2025. She...