PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Stephen Frears, director of the film Victoria & Abdul.
Director Stephen Frears talks about his latest film, Victoria & Abdul, presented out of competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. The great British cineaste, who also received the Jaeger-le Coultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award, stopped by our studio to talk about it. Frears praises the script, talks about Judi Dench’s performance as Queen Victoria and her presence on set, whether he can imagine this type of friendship talked about in the movie Victoria & Abdul being conceivable today.
Victoria & Abdul tells the extraordinary true story of the amazing and unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria and a young clerk, Abdul Karim, who becomes her teacher, her spiritual advisor, and her devoted friend. In 1887, Abdul travels from India to present a ceremonial medal as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee but surprisingly finds favor with the elderly Queen. The unprecedented and unlikely relationship causes a battle within the royal household, pitting the Queen against court and family. Victoria & Abdul humorously explores questions of race, religion, power, and the farce of Empire through the prism of a highly unusual and deeply moving friendship.
For the official page of the film on the festival website click here.
Alice Rohrwacher has been appointed President of the Caméra d’or Jury at Cannes 2025. Known for her poetic and visionary cinema, Rohrwacher will award the best first feature at the festival’s closing ceremony on May 24.