Empire of Light
Searchlight Pictures, 2022
A powerful and poignant story set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s revealing the power of human connection and the magic of cinema. Cinema manager Hilary is struggling with her mental health. Stephen is a new employee longing to escape the provincial town where he faces daily adversity. Together they find a sense of belonging and experience the healing power of music, cinema and community.
Directed by Oscar and Tony winning filmmaker Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall) with multi-award winning cast including Olivia Coleman (The Crown, The Lost Daughter), Michael Ward (Top Boy, Blue Story) and Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, The Staircase).
Intimacy Coordinator
Ita O’Brien for Intimacy On Set
“Olivia Colman admits she begged director Sam Mendes not to make her do sex scenes in their new movie Empire of Light, but an intimacy coordinator set her mind at ease…”[I know] Ita, we were at drama school together. So, I’d watched her career, she’d watched mine, and then it was so exciting to see. I would request her on every job, forever,” Colman glowed. “I couldn’t have done it without her because she understood me completely and turned it into a dance routine.”
Newsweek, 5 December 2022
“To be honest with you, I was slightly suspicious of it and was a bit resistant to begin with,” Mendes told Newsweek.“ And then I agreed to chat to Ita O’Brien, and she was amazing. For me, it just added another member of the core creative team. And it made my life incredibly, much, much easier… She makes sure it’s like a dance, everything is choreographed.”
Newsweek, 5 December 2022
