Photos: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal & More at New York Screening of HAMNET

On November 21, a New York Special Screening of Hamnet was held at The Whitby Hotel. The screening was preceded by an introduction by the film’s Director, Co-Writer, and Co-Editor Chloé Zhao, who brought to the stage stars Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Jacobi Jupe, Noah Jupe as well as Producers Liza Marshall and Pippa Harris. A Q&A followed the screening with the director and stars.

Also in attendance were special guests Lee Pace, Heidi Gardner, Mira Nair, Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Maggie Rogers, Evan Peters, Susan Sarandon, Ben Platt, Sofia Black D’Elia, Violetta Komyshan, Jemima Kirke, Samantha Bee, Rebecca Dayan, Carys Zeta Douglas, and more. 

Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal, Olivier Award-winner Jessie Buckley, Emily Watson, and Joe Alwyn, will be in select theaters on November 26th before expanding on December 5th. It previously won the People’s Choice Award at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

The movie tells of the love story between William (Mescal) and Agnes (Buckley) Shakespeare during the 16th century, along with their beloved son Hamnet. But before too long, tragedy strikes the family, resulting in heartbreak that serves as inspiration for his play Hamlet.

Hamnet is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 New York Times bestselling novel, which has sold 2 million copies in the UK and US and has been translated into 40 languages. O'Farrell worked with Zhao on the film's screenplay. The book has also been adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti, and was recently played in the West End in a production directed by Erica Whyman. 

Photo credit: Marion Curtis