Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta gets a UK release date

Virginie Efira in BENEDETTA / Courtesy of MUBI

MUBI, the theatrical distributor and global curated film streaming service has announced the theatrical release date for the UK and Ireland for Paul Verhoeven’s highly anticipated Benedetta on 15 April 2022.

Directed and co-written by Paul Verhoeven (Elle, Showgirls, Basic Instinct), Benedetta received its World Premiere in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2021. It is the latest film from the maverick filmmaker, following the Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning Elle, and internationally renowned films such as Basic Instinct, Turkish Delight, Total Recall, RoboCop, Starship Troopers and Showgirls.

Set in the late 17th century and inspired by true events, a woman joins a convent in Pescia, Tuscany as a plague ravages the land that surrounds it. Capable of performing miracles from an early age, Benedetta becomes entangled in a forbidden lesbian affair that will threaten to shake the Church to its core.

Inspired by the book Immodest Acts, written by historian Judith C Brown, the film stars Virginie Efira (Elle, In Bed with Victoria, Sibyl), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Red Sparrow, Swimming Pool), Daphné Patakia (Nimic), Lambert Wilson (The Matrix Reloaded, Catwoman) and Olivier Rabourdin (Eastern Boys, Of Gods and Men), and was co-written by David Birke, who partnered with Verhoeven to write Elle. Benedetta was produced by Said Ben Said at SBS Production, Michel Merkt and Pathé.