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Magna Studios welcomes filmmaker Mona Fastvold
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Fastvold has already established herself as a creative force. Her latest film, The Testament of Ann Lee, is creating buzz for the upcoming awards season after premiering at Venice Film Festival this summer.
Magna Studios has announced the expansion of its talent roster with the signing of Mona Fastvold, acclaimed Norwegian director, writer and producer.
Fastvold has already established herself as a creative force in Cinema. Her latest film, The Testament of Ann Lee, is creating buzz for the upcoming awards season after premiering at Venice Film Festival this summer. The expansive historical musical stars Amanda Seyfried as the titular Ann Lee, who founded the Shaker religious movement in the 18th century. Recently acquired by Searchlight Pictures on the heels of widespread acclaim on its festival run, The Testament of Ann Lee launched the first trailer last week announcing its worldwide theatrical release on the 25 December. Fastvold also co-wrote the film with filmmaker Brady Corbet, as well as with their long time collaborator and recent Oscar winner and composer Daniel Blumberg delivering the musical score.
Fastvold is also known for directing the acclaimed drama films The Sleepwalker (2014) and The World to Come (2020), which received the Queer-Lion award and a Golden Globe, and for co-writing and producing the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy award winning film The Brutalist (2024), The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux.
Fastvold will extend her craft to multiple formats, joining Magna’s exciting roster of emerging and established voices, including James Marsh, Asif Kapadia, Oscar Hudson, Jeff Treamine, Brady Corbet and Phoebe Arnstein.
This follows the recent strengthening of Magna’s senior team with the appointment of Lewis Tayloras Head of Scripted Film, where he spearheads Magna’s scripted strategy, focusing on director-driven genre films and breakthrough debuts, as the studio also builds on its legacy of high-impact UK TV.
Commenting on the news, Davud Karbassioun, Co-CEO of Magna Studios said: “We’re so proud to welcome Mona. We've long been admirers of her style and vision. The Testament of Ann Lee is one of the most extraordinary, original and beautifully crafted films I’ve ever seen and am excited for audiences to see it in theatres this holiday. She is a true artist, her style and approach lends itself to brand storytelling and she exemplifies our tastes and values. We’re looking forward to locking arms on this journey together.”
Fastvold added: “I’ve been looking for true partners who believe in me and my work, and Magna is exactly that. They’ve already shown such passion and enthusiasm for my ideas, and I’m looking forward to exploring new opportunities together, ones that challenge me creatively and bring bold original storytelling to audiences everywhere.”
