Rise of the Raven is a sweeping historical epic centred on legendary Hungarian military and political figure John Hunyadi. It had its North American premiere at TIFF 2025, where its balance of historical accuracy, narrative re-arranging, acting, action, and cinematography all garnered serious praise. Right in the middle of the show’s time at the festival, That Shelf’s Alex Southey had the opportunity to interview prominent members of the cast, as well as the production team. They chat about Hungarian legends, the weight of playing a real, major figure, and the decision to go against the “Hollywood” tradition of making a non-English story using English dialogue.

Check out the interview below now:

Read Alex Southey’s review of That Shelf now.

Rise of the Raven is now streaming on CBC Gem.