A captivating new exhibition from Universal and Focus Features invites Londoners into the ethereal world of Hamnet, Focus Features’ breathtaking new film from Academy Award®-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, The Rider), adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s highly acclaimed eighth novel.

“Even as a Shadow, Even as a Dream” opens to the public in Fitzroy Square, London on 8th December and celebrates Zhao’s visionary storytelling and unique creative process.

Curated by Simindokht Dehgani, the exhibition will showcase a collection of original props and set pieces, on-set photography by Agata Grzybowska that capture the film’s stunning locations, from the forests of Stratford-Upon-Avon to the stage of the Globe Theatre, plus artwork and writings from Zhao and actor Jessie Buckley.

Hamnet stars Academy Award®-nominee Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter) and Academy Award®-nominee Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers). The film by Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Accompanied by a top-flight supporting cast including Academy Award®-nominee Emily Watson (Hilary and Jackie, Breaking the Waves) and Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist), Hamnet is a nuanced, sensitive and magnificently crafted tale about the complexities of love and the healing power of creativity.

Chloé Zhao says: “Will Shakepeare had written a story about love and death and I feel honored and fortunate to be able to interpret his messages for today’s audience. Hamnet is about how these two foundational human experiences can alchemize and transform each other through art and storytelling.”

Buckley’s evocative handwritten notes on becoming Agnes Shakespeare, paired with Grzybowska’s haunting black and white photography, offer visitors an intimate glimpse behind the scenes of Hamnet,

Simindokht says: “While the cameras rolled, another story unfolded — in margins, in notebooks, in silence. We are not watching a story unfold, but witnessing something remembered: the dead are not restored, only made visible — if only for a moment, like a shadow, like a dream.”