Director Oliver Hermanus (right) with Paul Mescal
The History of Sound, starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, is a personal film for openly gay South African filmmaker, Oliver Hermanus, whose best features include Beauty and Living.
Hermanus says:
“I’ve been living with this film, this story, for five years. This film has been a personal and defining journey; it has moved me to a new country, educated me about the power of music and song, it has conjured a re evaluation of love and the bonds that last a lifetime.”
“The History of Sound is not simply the story of queer lives hidden due to a time of denial, of shame and secrecy. It is the story of a man’s life, expressed through the power of sound — as memory, as emotion… As family.”
“Our film is an offering of an idea, a very potent one – what if one’s first love, one’s great love, and one’s last love are all in one, and all too soon in one’s life…? What is it to live a life that is an echo? What does it sound like, in retrospect? And if offered a choice, would you change the course of your life’s path?”
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“Made with a deep affection for cinema that does not shout or scream its intention, our film invites you to enjoy song and spirit, to celebrate life in all its wonder — its losses, its grief, its remembrance, and most of all, its undeniable and indelible mark – love.”
The film, which world-premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Fest (in competition), will be released by Mubi on Sep. 22, after playing at the Toronto and other fall film festivals.
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