YOUNG WASHINGTON Gets Special International Screenings at US Embassies

Published: June 25, 2026

By Kayla DeKraker

The upcoming historical drama YOUNG WASHINGTON will receive international recognition ahead of its nationwide theatrical release.

According to a recent announcement, the US State Department will bring the movie to audiences around the world through screenings at American embassies.

From Angel and Wonder Project and directed by Jon Erwin, YOUNG WASHINGTON explores the formative years of America’s first president before he became a revolutionary leader. The movie stars William Franklyn-Miller, Kelsey Grammer, Mary-Louise Parker, Andy Serkis and Ben Kingsley.

In an interview with Movieguide®, Erwin shared his heart behind this special movie arriving just head of America’s 250th anniversary.

“I just was awestruck by the American Revolution, American story, by Washington himself, and by the question, ‘Where did this mythic character come from? Where was he forged?’” he explained.

“I found that he was forged in failure and in hardship and in loss and in risk and in an adventure, kind of rite of passage on the frontier, and everyone knew the name; not many people knew that story,” he explained. “So I just wanted…to write some sort of a love letter to America for the 250th anniversary, and that’s what this movie became, and I’m very grateful that that it’s coming out on our anniversary.”

Erwin described how the movie highlights Washington’s awareness of God working in his life, a fact that is often left out of history books.

“The first major event in his life where he recognized that there was a hand of providence, something guiding him, was this moment depicted in the film, where he was later told he was being shot directly at, and it’s like they could not hit him,” Erwin said. “And his first inaugural address really covers that, of like him saying, ‘I can’t explain my life or the country or the revolution without giving credit where credit is due, that there’s a divine hand to the story.’”

Movieguide®’s gave YOUNG WASHINGTON high praise, calling it “one of the best, most gripping biographical and historical war movies ever made” though advising some caution for its “many intense but not gory scenes of war.”

“YOUNG WASHINGTON has a strong moral, patriotic worldview. It stresses justice and fairness,” the -1, four star review said.

Movieguide® notes, “The movie presents George Washington as an ambitious man. However, George learns, during three famous battles depicted by the movie, that there’s more to becoming a true leader of men than just pursuing personal wealth and recognition. Caution is advised for older children.”