Awards season is now heating up, and most of the films thought to be in serious contention for the various accolades (La La Land, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, etc.) have already been seen. There are, however, a couple Oscar hopefuls yet to screen. Arguably the most prominent one is Martin Scorsese's Silence, a long-gestating religious epic based on the novel by Shûsaku Endô. It tells the tale of two Jesuit priests who travel to Japan in search of their mentor during a time when Christianity was outlawed in the country. Scorsese spent nearly three decades developing Silence and now it's finally come into fruition.

Paramount will release Silence in select cities on December 23, 2016, before it expands on an unspecified date in January 2017. Though the theatrical premiere is fast approaching, the studio has done very little in the way of raising awareness. To date, only a few still images had made their way online, but now their marketing efforts are about to ramp up. Ahead of Silence's trailer debut later this week, the film has received its first poster and a collection of new photos.

The one-sheet prominently features Liam Neeson's character Father Cristóvão Ferreira, the one Father Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garrpe (Adam Driver) are looking for in Japan. It also includes a look of Rodrigues and Garrpe making their way across the wilderness on their quest. You can check it out below:

Silence movie poster

Additionally, there are three new photos from the film for moviegoers to see, featuring Garfield and Neeson in-costume. There isn't much to be gleaned from these images, but for Scorsese fans, it's always great to see more from Silence. Check out the trio below:

Silence Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield and Liam Neeson in Silence

Andrew Garfield in Silence

Paramount also announced that the first trailer for the film will be unveiled shortly. The preview will be attached to screenings of the studio's World War II drama Allied (which opens November 23) before making its way online on Saturday, November 26. Cinephiles will undoubtedly be curious to get their first extensive look at Silence, as this has been one of Scorsese's passion projects for several years. A new work from the legendary filmmaker is always a must-see event at the cinema, but Silence has the potential to be a truly special offering due to Scorsese's personal attachment to the source material and the talented cast. The Oscar-winner may be 74-years old, but he's still at the top of his game.

Some were wondering if Silence would even see the light of day in 2016 when reports came out that the drama ran in excess of three hours, but Scorsese has trimmed it down to a more manageable 2 hours, 39 minutes. Even with that, it's unlikely Silence becomes a big commercial hit a la The Wolf of Wall Street due to the subject matter, which is why Paramount has positioned it more as an awards play than anything else. Since the turn of the century, only one of Scorsese's features (2010's Shutter Island) was not nominated for Best Picture. Odds are, Silence can shake things up in the Oscar race and be one to watch out for.

Source: Paramount (via Film Stage)

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