“The Testament of Ann Lee” will release just in time to qualify for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Mona Fastvold’s dramatic musical, which stars Amanda Seyfried as Shakers founder Ann Lee, will have a limited U.S. release from Searchlight Pictures on Christmas Day, with screenings in 70mm. This news comes hot on the heels of Searchlight’s Tuesday acquisition of the buzzy title.
The release date bodes well for the film’s ability to compete at the 2026 Academy Awards. Despite drawing attention at several film festivals — particularly for Seyfried’s acclaimed lead performance — “The Testament of Ann Lee” went a long time without securing a U.S. distributor. This led many who had already begun to pencil Seyfried, Fastvold and company as potential awards contenders to question if they would make the 2025 release date cut-off to be eligible for the 98th Academy Awards.
Now, Searchlight has another contender on its awards calendar, with “Ann Lee” joining buzzy titles like Hikari’s “Rental Family” starring Brendan Fraser and Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?” starring Will Arnett.
A lot of eyes fell on “The Testament of Ann Lee” due in part to its connection to an Oscar favorite from last season: “The Brutalist.” Fastvold, who wrote and directed “The Testament of Ann Lee,” served as a co-writer on last year’s American epic that won Best Original Score, Best Cinematography and Adrien Brody’s second Oscar for Best Actor. She worked alongside “The Brutalist” writer/director Brady Corbet — who is also Fastvold’s partner. Now, the roles have reversed, with Corbet lending his co-writer credit to “Ann Lee,” written and directed by his partner.
“The Testament of Ann Lee” will release in limited theaters on Dec. 25, 2025.
