Oscar winner Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward emerge from their dark pasts to find love in the bright lights of English seaside movie house in the teaser trailer for Oscar winner director Sam Mendes Empire of Light, which world premieres at the Toronto Film Fest.

“Film. It’s just static frames, with darkness in between,” Toby Jones’ projector operator character says at one point in a voiceover. But if run at 24 frames per second, an illusion of light and motion results on the cinema screen.

“An illusion of life, so you don’t see the darkness,” the trailer continues.

Mendes wrote the original script, marking his first solo outing as a screenwriter.

Empire of Light also stars Oscar winner Colin Firth.

It is Mendes’ follow-up to his Oscar-winning drama, 1917, will release theatrically in the U.S. on Dec. 9.

The filmmaker produced Empire of Light with partner Pippa Harris via the duo’s Neal Street Productions.