The History of Sound

Oliver Hermanus has shared an update on the release date for The History of Sound.

In an interview with Awards Watch, the director revealed that he’s aiming to complete the film ahead of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, meaning it won’t premiere anytime this year.

“Venice asked for it but it’s not ready. We have a lot of score to create,” he explained, before sharing that the two lead stars, Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, “sing in it, and it’s all about sound”.

The History of Sound is based on the Pushcart Prize-winning novel from Ben Shattuck, a collection of 12 short stories that are set across three centuries and explores generational patterns of love and loss.

The title story follows two young men in the shadows of WWI who are determined to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen. Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor) begin to log the events, whilst falling in love in the process.

When the film was announced, Hermanus told Variety that The History of Sound is “an unexpected love story that needs to be told — it is a journey through the life of America, across the 20th century and the traditions of American folk music, all seen through the bond between two men immersed in the history of sound.”

On the first day of filming (28 February), Hermanus told GAY TIMES that the duo are already “on fire”.

“I mean, they’re great friends and they get on. They love working together. This is their first time,” he shared.

Mescal, who rose to fame with his BAFTA-winning performance in Normal People and his Oscar-nominated turn in Aftersun, recently starred in the widely-acclaimed gay fantasy romance All of Us Strangers.

Before winning an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for his role as a young Charles III in Netflix’s The Crown, O’Connor had this breakthrough with Francis Lee’s lauded gay romantic drama God’s Own Country.

More recently, he starred in the queer sports dramedy Challengers alongside Zendaya and Mike Faist.

Hermanus said the pairing of Mescal and O’Connor “just feels right. Going to work with them feels right because they love and care about [The History of Sound].”