Woodstock Film Festival 2026: Elsinore
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About
Hudson Valley Premiere
Based on the tragic yet deeply inspiring true story of famed Scottish actor Ian Charleson, played by Andrew Scott. Riding the lingering success of the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire (1981) while secretly battling AIDS, Charleson is called upon to replace Daniel Day-Lewis as Hamlet at the National Theatre in London. Despite his deteriorating health, he is determined to extend his stage life and perform until the very end, bolstered by his friends and theatre family. “The show must go on” was a mantra this real-life hero embodied until his final days and death on January 6, 1990.
Directed by Simon Stone, Elsinore features Scott in a powerful, delicately nuanced performance. The film premiered at Telluride Film Festival, won the International People’s Choice Award at Toronto International Film Festival, and will also screen at BFI London Film Festival.
— Amir Bogen