

“What went on the screen was nothing compared to what went on behind the scenes.”
In 1939, boy-wonder Orson Welles leaves New York, where he has succeeded in radio and theater, and, hired by RKO Pictures, moves to Hollywood with the purpose of making his first film.

Liev Schreiber
Orson Welles
Lead
James Cromwell
William Randolph Hearst

Melanie Griffith
Marion Davies

John Malkovich
Herman Mankiewicz

Liam Cunningham
Gregg Toland

David Suchet
Louis B. Mayer

Fiona Shaw
Hedda Hopper

Anastasia Hille
Carole Lombard
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Benjamin Ross's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
“Every frame feels alive. RKO 281 is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”