# Virginia Woolf's Night and Day
**Virginia Woolf's Night and Day** is a 2026 period comedy-drama directed by Tina Gharavi and written by [Justine Waddell](https://www.edgepedia.org/justine-waddell), adapted from [Virginia Woolf](https://www.edgepedia.org/virginia-woolf)'s 1919 novel *Night and Day*. It stars [Haley Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/haley-bennett) as Katharine Hilbery, a young woman in Edwardian London who defies social convention to pursue astronomy while resisting her family's pressure toward marriage.[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/virginia-woolfs-night-day) • [2](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/virginia-woolfs-night-day-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte2njix) The film premiered as the opening feature of SXSW London on June 1, 2026, and was released in UK cinemas on June 19, 2026.[3](https://www.myraentertainment.com/Night__Day)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / screenwriter | Tina Gharavi (director); Justine Waddell (screenplay), from Virginia Woolf's 1919 novel[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/virginia-woolfs-night-day) |
| Running time / format | 95 minutes (BBFC-certified print 95m 24s), 2D, English[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/virginia-woolfs-night-day) • [2](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/virginia-woolfs-night-day-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte2njix) |
| Principal cast | Haley Bennett (Katharine Hilbery), Elyas M'Barek (Ralph Denham), Jennifer Saunders (Mrs. Hilbery), Lily Allen (Mary Datchet), Jack Whitehall (William Rodney), Timothy Spall (Mr. Hilbery)[4](https://www.fandango.com/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day-2026-246903/cast-and-crew) |
| Production | UK, Germany, and US co-production led by Asterisk Films; sales agent WestEnd Films[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/virginia-woolfs-night-day) |
| Shooting | November 7, 2024 to January 30, 2025, in Newcastle, England and Cologne, Germany[5](https://www.crew-united.com/en/Virginia-Woolf-s-Night-and-Day__318958.html) |
| Premiere and release | World premiere, SXSW London opening night, June 1, 2026; UK release June 19, 2026; US limited release September 4, 2026 (Quiver Distribution)[3](https://www.myraentertainment.com/Night__Day) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/virginia_woolfs_night_and_day) |
| Critical reception | 81% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 26 reviews[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/virginia_woolfs_night_and_day) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
The film is set in London in 1910, with some scenes in Cambridge.[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/virginia-woolfs-night-day) • [5](https://www.crew-united.com/en/Virginia-Woolf-s-Night-and-Day__318958.html) Katharine Hilbery (Haley Bennett) is passionate about two things: the stars and Cambridge University.[7](https://www.sxswlondon.com/film-and-tv/virginia-woolfs-night-day-a47ca656) Her controlling father ([Timothy Spall](https://www.edgepedia.org/timothy-spall)) pushes her away from learning and toward marriage with the family friend William Rodney ([Jack Whitehall](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-whitehall)), a poet; to buy herself room, Katharine accepts his proposal knowing he will let her continue her studies.[7](https://www.sxswlondon.com/film-and-tv/virginia-woolfs-night-day-a47ca656) • [8](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/) She then develops real feelings for Ralph Denham ([Elyas M'Barek](https://www.edgepedia.org/elyas-mbarek)), the editor of her mother's sprawling book.[8](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/)
Katharine's route out of domestic expectation runs through the suffragette movement, spearheaded by the straight-talking Mary Datchet ([Lily Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/lily-allen)), who gives Katharine a place to study.[7](https://www.sxswlondon.com/film-and-tv/virginia-woolfs-night-day-a47ca656) • [8](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/) Katharine's ambition is specific: to become a recognized and respected astronomer, a member of the [Royal Astronomical Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-astronomical-society), and a student at Cambridge University.[8](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/) Katharine's cousin Cyril ([Misia Butler](https://www.edgepedia.org/misia-butler)) is her closest male ally.[8](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/)
## Relationship to the novel
*Night and Day* was Virginia Woolf's second novel, published in 1919, and it returned to many Victorian conventions after the tentative modernism of her first, *The Voyage Out* (1915).[9](https://campuspress.yale.edu/modernismlab/night-and-day/) Woolf began serious work on it in the summer of 1916, after visiting her sister, the painter [Vanessa Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-bell), in Suffolk.[10](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/virginia-woolf-and-capitalism/literary-public-sphere-in-virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/10B26E08C4AA1D3F1FBEB7DD07F05537) The novel has long been the least prominent of Woolf's fiction: [Katherine Mansfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/katherine-mansfield)'s 1919 review, which argued that the novel ignored the First World War, dominated criticism and contributed to its neglect.[11](https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A09275140-324c-4a9f-a19a-97a7302f96e6) • [12](https://fileserver-az.core.ac.uk/download/74237687.pdf)
The adaptation is a deliberate departure from the book. Screenwriter Justine Waddell, who also produces, dials back the novel's foregrounded themes of love and marriage and brings Katharine's astronomy ambitions to prominence; the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw notes that Waddell and Gharavi amplified Woolf's single glancing reference to astronomy into the center of the heroine's yearning.[8](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/) • [13](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/02/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day-review-tina-gharavi-timothy-spall-jennifer-saunders) Waddell has said she drew in part on the histories of overlooked women scientists, including [Henrietta Swan Leavitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/henrietta-swan-leavitt), Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, and Margaret Lindsay Huggins.[14](https://scienceandfilm.org/articles/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/) The film also changes Katharine's cousin Cyril into a closeted gay man struggling with his place in society, a thread that carries the film's most serious content: the [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) notes a scene of homophobic abuse, a character who collapses and dies after such abuse, and sexist attitudes toward women as a main theme reflecting the historical period.[8](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/) • [2](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/virginia-woolfs-night-day-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte2njix) Erika Linder appears as Virginia Woolf herself.[15](https://www.25thframe.co.uk/movies/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/cast-and-crew)
## Production
Gharavi, a BAFTA-nominated director and a Reader in [Screenwriting](https://www.edgepedia.org/screenwriting) and Film at [Newcastle University](https://www.edgepedia.org/newcastle-university), set out to avoid a conventional period look; she told production designer David Hindle that the film was not going to be "bonnets and carriages" and needed to feel progressive.[16](https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/06/nightanddayfilmopening/) • [17](https://www.screenglobalproduction.com/news/2026/06/15/creating-progressive-london-virgina-woolf-night-and-day) Principal photography ran from November 7, 2024 to January 30, 2025, in Newcastle and Cologne; North East England locations included Beamish, the Lit & Phil, the Mining Institute, and the Ryhope Engines Museum in Sunderland.[5](https://www.crew-united.com/en/Virginia-Woolf-s-Night-and-Day__318958.html) • [16](https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/06/nightanddayfilmopening/) Sebastian Edschmid was the director of photography, Hansjörg Weißbrich and Ben Wilson the editors, and Esther Walz the costume designer.[7](https://www.sxswlondon.com/film-and-tv/virginia-woolfs-night-day-a47ca656)
The producers are Justine Waddell, Christopher Figg, Meg Thomson, Stephen Julius, Julie Link, and Philipp Steffens, with WestEnd Films handling international sales.[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/virginia-woolfs-night-day) • [3](https://www.myraentertainment.com/Night__Day)
## Release and reception
The film opened SXSW London on June 1, 2026, its world premiere, and reached UK and Irish cinemas on June 19, 2026, distributed by Vue.[3](https://www.myraentertainment.com/Night__Day) • [2](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/virginia-woolfs-night-day-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte2njix) It debuted at number 12 on the UK box office chart with a gross of £64.9 thousand, reaching a UK total of £326.2 thousand over eight chart weeks.[15](https://www.25thframe.co.uk/movies/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/cast-and-crew) A limited US release followed on September 4, 2026 through Quiver Distribution.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/virginia_woolfs_night_and_day)
Critics received it moderately well: the Tomatometer stood at 81% from 26 reviews, with the site's critics consensus calling it "a delightfully offbeat and bittersweet period romance that balances sharp comedy with a thoughtful exploration of love, independence, and female empowerment."[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/virginia_woolfs_night_and_day) Reviewers singled out Haley Bennett's performance; Screen's review called her "spirited" and noted the rarity of seeing women in suits and trousers in a film of this period setting.[18](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day-review-a-spirited-haley-bennett-helps-lift-weighty-adaptation/5217338.article) The Guardian praised the film's design and dreamlike set pieces while observing that it removes Woolf's condescension toward the newly educated lower and middle classes in favor of a sweeter story.[13](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/02/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day-review-tina-gharavi-timothy-spall-jennifer-saunders) Less favorable takes included In Review Online's view that viewers would be better served by a paperback of the novel itself.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/virginia_woolfs_night_and_day)
## References
1. [Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, British Council UK Films Database](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/virginia-woolfs-night-day)
2. [Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/virginia-woolfs-night-day-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte2njix)
3. [Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, M.Y.R.A. Entertainment](https://www.myraentertainment.com/Night__Day)
4. [Virginia Woolf's Night & Day (2026) Cast and Crew, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day-2026-246903/cast-and-crew)
5. [Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, Crew United](https://www.crew-united.com/en/Virginia-Woolf-s-Night-and-Day__318958.html)
6. [Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/virginia_woolfs_night_and_day)
7. [Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, SXSW London 2026](https://www.sxswlondon.com/film-and-tv/virginia-woolfs-night-day-a47ca656)
8. [Virginia Woolf's Night and Day review, Pearl & Dean Cinemas](https://www.pearlanddean.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/)
9. [Night and Day, Yale Modernism Lab](https://campuspress.yale.edu/modernismlab/night-and-day/)
10. [The Literary Public Sphere in Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, Cambridge University Press](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/virginia-woolf-and-capitalism/literary-public-sphere-in-virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/10B26E08C4AA1D3F1FBEB7DD07F05537)
11. [Traces of War in Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, Oxford University Research Archive](https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A09275140-324c-4a9f-a19a-97a7302f96e6)
12. [Of the Subject: Mode, CORE](https://fileserver-az.core.ac.uk/download/74237687.pdf)
13. [Virginia Woolf's Night and Day review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/02/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day-review-tina-gharavi-timothy-spall-jennifer-saunders)
14. [Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, Sloan Science & Film](https://scienceandfilm.org/articles/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/)
15. [Virginia Woolf's Night & Day (2026) Cast and Director, 25th Frame](https://www.25thframe.co.uk/movies/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day/cast-and-crew)
16. [Night and day film opening, Newcastle University Press Office](https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/06/nightanddayfilmopening/)
17. [Creating a "progressive" London in 'Virginia Woolf's Night And Day', Screen Global Production](https://www.screenglobalproduction.com/news/2026/06/15/creating-progressive-london-virgina-woolf-night-and-day)
18. ['Virginia Woolf's Night & Day' review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/virginia-woolfs-night-and-day-review-a-spirited-haley-bennett-helps-lift-weighty-adaptation/5217338.article)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2026 and later › Titles K to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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