Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, Empire Of Light follows Hilary (The Crown’s Olivia Colman) and Stephen (Top Boy’s Micheal Ward), who meet while working at a local picturehouse and embark upon a taboo relationship.

Described as a “powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema”, the film has assembled an impressive cast of Brit favourites. Alongside Colman and Ward, the film stars Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke and Colin Firth, who previously appeared in Mendes’s Oscar-nominated film 1917. You can practically hear the awards buzz already, right?

Empire Of Light: the first spellbinding trailer for Sam Mendes’ new film starring Olivia Colman has landed