Several new women-directed films are on the way. According to recent reports, we can expect the feature directorial debut from musical artist St. Vincent as well as Emily Harris’ first solo feature. In addition, Brittany Poulton will write and direct her first feature film alongside Daniel Savage.
Per Variety, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) is set to direct a gender-reversal of Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” from a script by David Birke (“Elle”). The original 1890 novel follows a bon vivant who stays young while his portrait ages. Clark’s project will see a woman play the titular role.
Clark made her directorial debut earlier this year with “The Birthday Cake” segment of the all-women-directed horror anthology “XX.” The film also featured segments from Karyn Kusama (“The Invitation”), Roxanne Benjamin (“Southbound”), and Jovanka Vuckovic (“The Guest”). Clark co-wrote and scored “The Birthday Cake,” which follows a mother (Melanie Lynskey) who tries to keep her husband’s death a secret during her daughter’s birthday party.
Emily Harris’ first feature as a solo director will be “Carmilla,” a gothic love story starring Jessica Raine (“Call The Midwife”). The film will be adapted from the 1872 vampire novel by Sheridan Le Fanu. ScreenDaily broke the story.
Raine will portray Miss Fontaine, a governess whose ward is the isolated teen Lara (Hannah Rae, “Broadchurch”). “Struggling to find an outlet for her burgeoning sexuality, Lara is enchanted by the mysterious Carmilla (Devrim Lingnau, “Under Suspicion”) and the pair strike up a passionate relationship,” the source summarizes. “However, with rumors and superstition rife and with the exhortation of the family doctor (Tobias Menzies, “Outlander”), Carmilla’s presence in their home begins to strike fear into those around her.”
Principal photography on “Carmilla” will begin mid-September in East Sussex.
Harris, who also penned “Carmilla,” most recently directed rom-com “Love Is Thicker Than Water” with Ate de Jong. “Paragraph,” “Borges and I,” and several short films are among her other credits.
Finally, “Lizard King” writer-directors Brittany Poulton and Daniel Savage will explore the effect faith has on a person’s life in “Them That Follow,” Deadline reports.
“‘Them That Follow’ is a dramatic thriller set deep in the wilds of Appalachia, where a Pentecostal pastor, Lemuel Childs, and his believers handle venomous snakes to prove themselves before God,” Deadline writes. “The tale focuses on Lemuel’s daughter, Mara (Alice Englert). She holds a secret that threatens to tear the church apart: her romantic past with a nonbeliever, Augie (Thomas Mann). As Mara’s wedding to a devoted follower looms, she must decide whether or not to trust the steely matriarch of their community, Hope (Olivia Colman), with her heart and life at stake.”
Production is scheduled to begin in October.
Englert has previously worked with female directors like Hannah Cowley (“Flame of the West”), Sally Potter (“Ginger & Rosa”), and Alison Maclean (“The Rehearsal”). Next, Englert will appear in “Top of the Lake: China Girl,” the Sundance series created and co-directed by her mother, Jane Campion. The Elisabeth Moss-starring show returns September 10.
