‘A Call to Spy’ Trailer: Female-Dominated Production Team Runs WWII Espionage Thriller
Women rule the upcoming IFC Films release “A Call to Spy,” a World War II espionage thriller from Oscar-nominated director Lydia Dean Pilcher. Not only is the narrative centered on Winston Churchill’s female recruits thrust into a bold mission, but the production team is also dominated by women throughout. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film, which hits theaters and VOD on October 2, below.
Here’s the synopsis: “In the beginning of WWII, with Britain becoming desperate, Churchill orders his new spy agency — SOE — to recruit and train women as spies. Their daunting mission: conduct sabotage and build a resistance. SOE’s ‘spymistress’ Vera Atkins (Stana Katic of ‘Castle’), recruits two unusual candidates: Virginia Hall (Sarah Megan Thomas of ‘Equity’), an ambitious American with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan (Radhika Apte of ‘Sacred Games’), a Muslim pacifist. Together, these women help to undermine the Nazi regime in France, leaving an unmistakable legacy in their wake. Inspired by true stories, this original screenplay draws on SOE, OSS, and CIA files.” The screenplay is written by star Sarah Megan Thomas, who also produced the film.
Director Lydia Dean Pilcher is an Academy Award nominee for 2014’s “Cutie and the Boxer,” which she produced. She also served as a producer on “The Darjeeling Limited,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and “Queen of Katwe.” She also directed and produced the 2018 film “Radium Girls,” the historical drama starring Joey King.
“A Call to Spy” premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2019, where Pilcher told Women and Hollywood, “I was compelled by the challenge of portraying the journey of these women in a way that could show how the very existence of national and ethnic differences can stimulate deeper humanitarian connection. As we all face the current global epidemic of national extremism, it’s unsettling to realize we are facing the same conditions that set the stage for the Nazism.”
The film also features Linus Roache, Rossif Sutherland, Marc Rissmann, Samuel Roukin, and Laila Robins. The movie picked up prizes at the Santa Barbara and Whistler film festivals.
Watch the exclusive trailer for “A Call to Spy.”
