TIFF 2020 premieres Francis Lee's 'Ammonite' starring Kate Winslet in lead

Ammonite had also been the closing film of the 64th British Film Institute London Film Festival on Aug 26, 2020.

Inspired by the life of British palaeontologist, Mary Anning, played by Winslet, the film centres on a romantic relationship between Anning and Charlotte Murchison, played by Ronan.

Anning devotes her days on Southwest England’s Dorset coast to finding and cataloguing fossils of ammonites, extinct and beautiful sea creatures, which was not considered in the early 19th century to be a woman's work.

Not being accepted by any scientific society, Anning is left to work alone.

When one visitor brings along his grieving wife, Charlotte (Ronan), and entrusts her in the care of Anning, the two women have no one to turn to but each other.

Lee's talent for powerful love stories in harsh environments is depicted in his tactful direction of the film 'Ammonite' stormed emotionally by Anning's anger and Charlotte's pain, and successfully brings them closer.

Written and directed by Francis Lee, Ammonite was produced by Iain Canning, Emilie Sherman, and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly with Executive Producers Simon Gillis, Mary Burke, Rose Garnett, and Zygi Kamasa.

Trained as an actor. Lee worked in theatre, film, and television before turning to filmmaking. His debut feature, God’s Own Country (17), won numerous awards including Sundance’s World Cinema Directing prize, the London Film Critics’ Circle Award for Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker, British Independent Film Awards for both Best British Independent Film and Best Debut Screenwriter, and the Bill Sherwood Award (Best First Feature) at Toronto’s Inside Out Film and Video Festival.  Ammonite (20) is his latest feature. 

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)