QUEEN AT SEA

USA, UK | 2026 | COLOR | DCP | 121’ | ENGLISH

It may have taken a full 18 years for the American director of “Ballast” to make his second film, but all things come to those who wait. Thematically akin to Michael Haneke’s “Amour”, “Queen at Sea” features an outstanding Juliette Binoche grappling daily with the demands imposed by her elderly mother’s dementia. By her side is a stepfather who stands by his wife with love and understanding. However, an unpleasant incident forces them to make difficult decisions, sparking a complex dialogue about the power of instinct, the nature of companionship and the right to self-determination. Free of melodrama and easy answers, with a clarity that makes what we see all the more emotionally overwhelming, Lance Hammer’s marvelous drama won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and deservedly gave acting prizes to the outstanding Tom Courtenay (“45 Years”) and Anna Calder-Marshall. Loukas Katsikas

DIRECTOR: Lance Hammer
SCREENWRITER: Lance Hammer
DoP: Adolpho Veloso
EDITOR: Lance Hammer
PRINCIPAL CAST: Juliette Binoche, Tom Courtenay, Anna Calder-Marshall, Steven Cree, Florence Hunt, Cody Molko

LANCE HAMMER
American director of the independent cinema. He studied Architecture, and still works as an architect. Initially he worked also in Hollywood as practical and digital visual effects art director.

FILMOGRAPHY
2026 Queen at Sea
2008 Ballast