Mubi Secures Paul Mescal & Josh O’Connor’s Gay Romance ‘History of Sound’ for North America

Mubi, the distributor behind The Substance and Queer, has picked up the highly anticipated gay romance drama The History of Sound for North America. Meanwhile, Focus Features and Universal Pictures International (UPI) have secured the film’s international rights.

Directed by Oliver Hermanus (Living, Moffie), the movie wrapped production earlier this year and is set for a theatrical release in 2025 after a yet-to-be-announced world premiere.

Originally announced in 2021, The History of Sound was the first project Paul Mescal filmed after Gladiator II. The movie follows Lionel (Mescal) and David (Josh O’Connor), two young men living in the aftermath of World War I, who set out to record the voices, music, and stories of Americans. As their journey unfolds, the two fall in love.

The film is based on Ben Shattuck’s award-winning short story, which he adapted into the screenplay. Mescal is also an executive producer, marking his first production credit.

The film is produced by End Cue’s Andrew Kortschak and Lisa Ciuffetti, Fat City’s Sara Murphy, and Thérèsa Ryan-van Graan, Zhang Xin, and Oliver Hermanus. It is financed by Film4, Closer Media, Tango Entertainment, and Storm City Films.

The list of executive producers includes Ollie Madden and Farhana Bhula (Film4), William Horberg and Richard Lewis (Closer Media), Tim Headington, Lia Buman, and Neil Shah (Tango), and Dennis Masel and Gabrielle Nadig (Storm City). Mescal also serves as an executive producer alongside Walter Kortschak, Ryan Zacarias, and Andrea Roa.

Calling The History of Sound a “true passion project,” Hermanus shared how meaningful the film has been to him and the lead actors:

“This film is a true passion project. It has been a part of my life, and the lives of Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, for the past five years, and I could not be more thrilled to have found partners in Mubi in North America and Focus and UPI internationally,” said Hermanus. “They champion the cinema I love, and having our film as part of their family of films has made this journey all the more fruitful.”