Festival Predictions

2021 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Will Sharpe’s Louis Wain

Published on November 19, 2020

A relatively new talent both in front and behind the camera, Will Sharpe starred in Netflix drama Giri/Haji, directed quirky British comedy Flowers, is directing Olivia Colman in the drama series Landscapers and oh – the BAFTA-nominated UK director also shot an Amazon Studios project with a cast of big names in Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Jamie Demetriou, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, Hayley Squires and Stacy Martin. Based on Simon Stephenson’s original screenplay which Sharpe shares writing credits with, Louis Wain went into production back in August of 2019 in London for this historical biopic. It’s a huge project that would have been better fitted for a Gala TIFF premiere, but perhaps this sophomore pic is ready to be released.

Gist: At the age of 23, Louis Wain married his sisters’ governess, Emily Richardson (Foy), who was ten years his senior. The marriage was considered somewhat scandalous at the time due to the age difference. He moved with her to Hampstead in north London but Emily soon began to suffer from breast cancer and died three years into their marriage. Prior to Emily’s death, Wain discovered the subject that would define his career.

Production Co./Producers: Adam Ackland, Ed Clarke, Leah Clarke, Guy Heeley.

Prediction: PREMIERES

U.S. Distributor: Amazon Studios.

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).