BILL CONDON’S MR. HOLMES STARRING IAN MCKELLEN
AND LAURA LINNEY TO HAVE US PREMIERE
AT 58TH SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Sherlock Holmes Revisits His Final Case with the Help of a Young Protege
San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Film Society announced today that it will host the US Premiere of acclaimed director Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes, starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney and newcomer Milo Parker Saturday April 25, 12:30 pm at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas as part of the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival.
“We’re thrilled to have Bill Condon’s smart, elegant and moving take on the legendary detective as a Marquee Presentation at the Festival, “ said SFFS Director of Programming Rachel Rosen. “I know our audiences will appreciate the film’s stylish direction and stellar performances, led by the incomparable Ian McKellen.”
McKellen reunites with Gods and Monsters (1998) director Bill Condon for Mr. Holmes, a new twist on the world’s most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it's too late.
Loosely adapted from Mitch Cullin’s novel A Slight Trick of the Mind and featuring precise attention to period detail and the visual splendor of the English countryside, Mr. Holmes stands proudly along the other indelible portraits of the unforgettable man who lived at 221B Baker Street. Mr. Holmes plays Saturday April 25, 12:30 pm and Tuesday May 5, 2:00 pm at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
Roadside Attractions and Miramax will release the film in theaters July 17, 2015.
Bill Condon is a celebrated film director and screenwriter who previously worked with Ian McKellen on Gods and Monsters, earning McKellen his first Oscar® nomination and Condon an Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay. Condon also wrote and directed Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney, and wrote the screenplay for the big-screen version of the musical Chicago, for which he received a second Oscar® nomination. Condon also directed Dreamgirls, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2 and The Fifth Estate.
Producers are Anne Carey (The American, Adventureland) of Archer Gray Productions and Academy Award® winners Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films (The King’s Speech, Shame). Executive producers are Aviv Giladi and Len Blavatnik of AI Film (Lee Daniels' The Butler, Kill Your Friends), Christine Langan (Saving Mr. Banks, Philomena) on behalf of BBC Films, and Amy Nauiokas (Ten Thousand Saints, The Diary of a Teenage Girl) for Archer Gray Productions.
Tickets to Mr. Holmes are $13 for SFFS members, $15 general, $14 seniors, students and persons with disabilities. Box office opens March 31 for SFFS members and April 3 for the general public, online at sffs.org.
58th San Francisco International Film Festival
The 58th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 23–May 7 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Castro Theatre, Landmark’s Clay Theatre and the Roxie Theater in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, SFIFF is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring nearly 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards with nearly $40,000 in cash prizes and upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests.
For general information visit festival.sffs.org.
Distributor: Roadside Attractions and Miramax
Cast: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker
Director: Bill Condon
Producers: Anne Carey, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Release Date: July 17, 2015
