The Choral

The Choral is an upcoming British historical comedy drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Alan Bennett. Set in 1916, during World War I, in the fictional town of Ramsden, Yorkshire, the film follows the members of the local choral society which recruits a group of teenage boys and girls for a performance of Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. It stars Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Robert Emms, and Simon Russell Beale.

The Choral
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nicholas Hytner
Written by	Alan Bennett
Produced by	Kevin Loader Nicholas Hytner Damian Jones
Starring	Ralph Fiennes Roger Allam Mark Addy Alun Armstrong Robert Emms Simon Russell Beale
Cinematography	Mike Eley
Edited by	Tariq Anwar
Music by	George Fenton
Production companies	Head Gear Films Metrol Technology
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics
Release dates	5 September 2025 (2025-09-05) (TIFF) 7 November 2025 (2025-11-07) (United Kingdom)
Running time	113 minutes[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The film will have its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2025, and will be theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2025.

Cast

• Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Guthrie
• Roger Allam
• Mark Addy
• Alun Armstrong
• Robert Emms
• Simon Russell Beale
• Oliver Briscombe
• Ignatius Burrows

Production

In March 2024, it was announced that Nicholas Hytner would be directing the film The Choral from a script by frequent collaborator Alan Bennett; unlike their previous projects which were based on stage plays written by Bennett, this is an original screenplay. Ralph Fiennes and Simon Russell Beale were announced to be starring. Sony Pictures Classics acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film and financed, along with BBC Film and Screen Yorkshire. Hytner also serves as producer alongside Kevin Loader and Damian Jones.

Principal photography commenced on 28 May 2024 in Yorkshire.^[2][3] The village of Saltaire was used as a filming location for the film. Filming locations in the village included Salts Mill, Victoria Hall, and along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.^[4]

George Fenton was hired to compose the score.^[5]

Release

The film will have its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2025,^[1] and will be theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2025.^[6]