Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada to be released by BFI Distribution

Award-winning Cornish director Mark Jenkin’s third feature film, the time-travelling Rose of Nevada, starring George MacKay (For Those in Peril, Femme, 1917) and Callum Turner (Eternity, The Boys in the Boat, Masters of the Air), will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 24 April 2026 by BFI Distribution, preceded by a two-week director Q&A tour. A BFI Blu-ray and BFI Player release will follow next summer.

Rose of Nevada follows Mark Jenkin’s BAFTA award winning first feature Bait (2019) and Enys Men (2022). Unique among British feature filmmakers for the analogue way in which he crafts his films, once again Jenkin is the writer, director, director of photography and editor – he also handled sound design and composed the original score. The story is based on an original story idea by Jenkin and Mary Woodvine, who appears in the film.

When a fishing boat, the Rose of Nevada, lost with all hands 30 years ago, mysteriously reappears in the old harbour of a forgotten Cornish village, for those who remember, it’s surely a sign. The boat must go out to sea again and maybe then the luck of the devastated village will turn. Young father Nick and enigmatic newcomer Liam join captain Murgey, and they head to sea. But when they return, satisfied with their haul, something is amiss – they’ve slipped back in time, and the villagers greet them as if they are the original crew.

Made in Cornwall, all of Jenkin’s features have been shot on 16mm using a Bolex clockwork camera; the film grain and saturated colour are beautifully revealed on the big screen. The camera only runs for 27 seconds before it needs rewinding, so filming is fast and must be efficient; Jenkin even incorporates the end of reel ‘spoiled’ frames. No sound is recorded live so the actors re-voice their entire dialogue during the edit, with all foley and sound effects added then.

Rose of Nevada takes Mark Jenkin to a new level, still with his core Cornish film team, but with a far larger crew and production budget than on Bait and Enys Men, incorporating complicated practical effects, action sequences and working with British star talent George MacKay and Callum Turner who have appeared in Hollywood features. The other key cast members are Francis Magee (Kin, The Tourist), Edward Rowe (Bait, Enys Men), Rosalind Eleazar (Slow Horses, The Personal History of David Copperfield) and Mary Woodvine (Bait, Enys Men).

The film had its world premiere in August at the Venice International Film Festival, followed by its North American premiere in the Special Presentations programme at the Toronto International Film Festival. It screened at the New York Film Festival and then had its UK premiere in Official Competition at the BFI London Film Festival.

Rose of Nevada is produced by Denzil Monk for Bosena. The film was developed with Film4 and co-financed by the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding) and Film4. Protagonist Pictures are handling worldwide sales on behalf of the filmmakers.