| Maria | |
| Director: | Pablo Larraín |
| Cinematography: | Edward Lachman |
| Editing: | Sofía Subercaseaux |
| Runtime: | 124 minutes |
| Country: |
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Maria is a 2024 biographical psychological drama film about opera singer Maria Callas. It is directed by Pablo Larraín, written by Steven Knight, and is an international co-production between Italy, Germany and the United States. The film stars Angelina Jolie in the title role, along with Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, and Kodi Smit-McPhee in supporting roles. It is the third film in Larraín's trilogy of important 20th century women, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021).
The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2024, where it competed for the Golden Lion and received generally positive reviews from critics, who singled out Jolie's performance for praise. It was released in select theaters in the United States on November 27, 2024, before streaming on Netflix on December 11. It will later be theatrically released in Italy by 01 Distribution on January 1, 2025, and in Germany by StudioCanal on February 6.
The film is reportedly set during Callas' final years in the 1970s when she was living in Paris.[1]
Pablo Larraín signed on to direct, working from a script by Steven Knight. The film is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín for Fabula, Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment Pictures, a Fremantle company, and Jonas Dornbach for Komplizen Film.[2] Angelina Jolie came aboard the project as the eponymous Maria in October 2022.[3]
Filming got underway in Budapest in October 2023 with other filming locations including Paris; Milan, where scenes were filmed at the La Scala opera house; and Pyrgos and Katakolo in Greece. Beforehand, production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas worked with Larraín on the visual concept, helping fuse the 1940 to 1970s style with the surreal musical sequences. According to the film's producers, no new fur was sourced for Jolie's garments which are based on Callas' original garments, with consultation with animal rights groups such as PETA regarding vintage fur items worn in the film from the archive collection of costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini.[4] [5]
To prepare for her role, Jolie spent seven months training to sing opera.[6] The scenes set during Callas' heyday, an estimated 90 to 95 percent of Callas' original recordings were used, with Jolie lip-synching along to these songs. However, Jolie's singing comes to the fore during the film's final act.[7] [8]
The film had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2024, where it competed for the Golden Lion.[9] On the day before its premiere, the film's US distribution rights were acquired by Netflix.[10] [11] Following the premiere, FilmNation Entertainment handled some of the film's international distribution deals, with 01 Distribution handling its release in Italy, and StudioCanal handling its release in the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland.[12]
It was released in select theaters in the United States on November 27, 2024, before streaming on Netflix on December 11.[13] [14] It will later be theatrically released in Italy on January 1, 2025,[15] in the UK and Ireland on January 10, and in Germany on February 6.[16]
The film received an eight-minute standing ovation at the Sala Grande Theatre during its world premiere, bringing Angelina Jolie to tears.[17] [18]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice International Film Festival | September 7, 2024 | Golden Lion | Pablo Larraín | [19] | |
| Middleburg Film Festival | October 20, 2024 | Lifetime Achievement Award for Cinematography | Edward Lachman | [20] | |
| Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television | October 22, 2024 | Director Award – Film | Pablo Larraín | [21] | |
| Savannah Film Festival | November 2, 2024 | Auteur Award | [22] | ||
| Gotham Awards | December 2, 2024 | Performer Tribute | Angelina Jolie | [23] | |
| Astra Film Awards | December 8, 2024 | Best Actress | [24] | ||
| AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | January 11, 2025 | Best Time Capsule | Maria | [25] | |
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | February 5, 2025 | Maltin Modern Master Award | Angelina Jolie | [26] | |