Awards season has kicked off with the release of the first trailer for the upcoming period piece, The Favourite.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film stars Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. The Favourite is set in 18th century England as a reimagining of the behind-the-scenes politics at the start of Queen Anne's (Colman) reign, as two cousins Sarah Churchill (Weisz) and Abigail Masham (Stone), compete for her affections.

The Favourite had its world premiere at this year's Venice Film Festival. Lanthimos, in a press conference for the film, notes its importance in centralizing on the lives of three female characters: "Most times, women are seen through the male gaze, so they are often shown as housewives, girlfriends or objects of desire. Although the film was conceived many years before #MeToo burst on the scene, our contribution is to show women as complex, wonderful…human beings."

Colman also noted the "timelessness" of sexual politics, adding that she enjoyed filming more sexually explicit scenes with her co-star.

“It was awfully fun having sex with Emma Stone,” Colman added.

The Favourite will be released in select theatres November 23, and it will open the 2018 New York Film Festival on September 28.