HAMNET – Live Q&A with Writer-Director Chloé Zhao, Jessie Buckley, Joe Alwyn, Jacopi & Noah Jupe

Recorded on Saturday, November 15 at 6:00 PM at Harmony Gold Preview House (7655 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046). A special screening of HAMNET, followed by a live Q&A featuring: Chloé Zhao — Writer / Director Jessie Buckley — Actor Joe Alwyn — Actor Jacobi Jupe — Actor Noah Jupe — Actor A rare, in-depth conversation exploring the making of HAMNET, its emotional core, and the collaborative process behind bringing this story to the screen. About HAMNET HAMNET is a poetic, emotionally rich adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel, directed and co-written by Chloé Zhao. Rather than focusing on Shakespeare’s fame, the film centers on his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. Through Agnes’s eyes, the film explores grief, love, motherhood, and the mysterious ways loss is transformed into art. Shot with Zhao’s signature blend of natural light, intimate close-ups, and grounded performances, HAMNET weaves history and imagination into what she has called a “grown-up fairy tale”—a story where domestic life, dreams, and myth blur together. Early festival reactions have highlighted its devastating emotional power, immersive period detail, and a standout central performance from Buckley. Chloé Zhao — Writer / Director Chloé Zhao is an Academy Award–winning filmmaker known for her humanistic, visually lyrical storytelling. Her feature films include: Songs My Brothers Taught Me The Rider Nomadland Eternals With Nomadland, Zhao won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture, along with major honors from Venice, Toronto, the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and numerous critics’ groups. She became the first woman of color and only the second woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Director. After directing Marvel’s Eternals, she stepped back from directing for several years before returning with HAMNET, a project that reconnects her to intimate, character-driven storytelling grounded in nature, emotion, and spiritual depth. Jessie Buckley — Actor Jessie Buckley is an Irish actor and singer celebrated for her fearless, emotionally raw performances across film, television, and theatre. Her notable work includes: Beast Wild Rose Chernobyl I’m Thinking of Ending Things Fargo (Season 4) The Lost Daughter Women Talking Cabaret (West End stage revival) Her performance in The Lost Daughter earned her Academy Award and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and she has received multiple critics’ and festival awards, including honors for Women Talking and Hamnet on the festival circuit. In HAMNET, she plays Agnes, delivering a powerful portrait of a woman wrestling with grief, intuition, and the strange alchemy between love and loss. Joe Alwyn — Actor Joe Alwyn is a British actor whose career has spanned intimate dramas, historical epics, and art-house collaborations. His film and TV work includes: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk The Favourite Harriet Mary Queen of Scots Conversations with Friends (series) Stars at Noon Catherine Called Birdy Kinds of Kindness The Brutalist Alwyn has been part of several award-winning ensembles and received recognition such as the Cannes Trophée Chopard and a Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his songwriting contributions to Taylor Swift’s Folklore. In HAMNET, he appears in a key role within the Shakespearean world, bringing a quiet intensity and emotional nuance to the period setting. Jacobi Jupe — Actor Jacobi Jupe is a British child actor and the younger brother of Noah Jupe. Despite his young age, he is already building an impressive resume with credits that include: Peter Pan & Wendy Hamnet Upcoming projects such as Victorian Psycho In HAMNET, he portrays one of the children within the Shakespeare family orbit, bringing a natural, lived-in presence that deepens the film’s portrayal of family life and youthful vulnerability. Noah Jupe — Actor Noah Jupe is a British actor known for moving seamlessly between genre films and intimate character dramas. His credits include: A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II Wonder Honey Boy Ford v Ferrari (Le Mans ’66) The Undoing (series) Jupe has earned multiple nominations and wins from critics’ groups and festivals, including breakthrough and youth performance awards for Honey Boy and A Quiet Place. In HAMNET, he contributes to the film’s emotional fabric with a sensitive performance that captures the fragility and resilience of youth in the face of grief. This Q&A offers a rare look at how Chloé Zhao and her cast approached adapting a beloved novel, building a period world that feels immediate and alive, and honoring the emotional truth at the heart of Shakespeare’s family story. More of my work: https://www.briantophoto.com/