Amma Asante’s “A United Kingdom” will make its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month. It will then make a trip across the pond where it will be the opening night film for the 60th BFI London Film Festival in October. No USA playdates at this time, although it’s a film on my Oscar 2017 predictions list, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets a late 2016 Oscar-qualifying run.




The film chronicles the true story of Seretse Khama, King of Bechuanaland (present-day Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1947 in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments.

Starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike, “A United Kingdom” is directed by Asante from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert, based on the book “Colour Bar” by Susan Williams. The cast is led by Oyelowo as Seretse Khama, with Rosamund Pike playing his future wife Ruth Williams. Other cast includes Jack Davenport, Terry Pheto, Tom Felton, Arnold Oceng, Jack Lowden and Laura Carmichael.

It is produced by Rick McCallum, Oyelowo, Justin Moore-Lewy, Brunson Green and Charlie Mason.

Pathé’s Cameron McCracken, BBC Films’ Christine Langan, the BFI’s Ben Roberts, Ingenious Media’s Eleanor Clark Windo and Guy Hibbert are executive producers.

Pathé will distribute the film in the UK and France and will handle sales throughout the rest of the world.

While we wait for news of a USA pick-up, a first trailer for the film has been released (by UIP South Africa). Watch it below: