Chanya Button is a director, writer, and producer whose diverse work spans film and theater. Her debut feature, “Burn Burn Burn,” was nominated for the BIFA Discovery award. Her shorts include “Frog/Robot,” “Fire,” and “Alpha: Omega.”

“Vita & Virginia” will begin screening at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

CB: “Vita & Virginia” is a bold, contemporary look at the intoxicating relationship that inspired one of Woolf’s most iconic novels, “Orlando.” It is a film that explores creativity, sexuality, and friendship.

For Virginia Woolf, writing “Orlando” was an act of strength. A fantastical biography, a memoir with a muse, “Orlando” was inspired by Woolf’s long and passionate relationship with the mercurial poet and aristocrat Vita Sackville-West. Theirs was an emotionally hedonistic union that ran wild in the letters they exchanged from the moment they met in 1922, right up until Woolf’s death in 1941.

The conduit for their love were words, which would constantly fail to express their love’s ferocity. Woolf’s literary reputation remains haunted by the specter of the emotional and psychological challenges she faced which eventually resulted in her suicide. However, her romance with Vita and the work that came from it is a story that brings to life a moment of personal triumph, where her brilliant mind saved her from an experience that threatened to overwhelm her.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

CB: For as long as I can remember, Virginia Woolf has been my favorite writer. For someone who wrote so vividly about what it means to be alive, I have always felt it something of a betrayal that her death has become a defining part of her identity. This is why Virginia’s relationship with Vita stands out for me as a moment of profound triumph for Virginia.

Bringing Woolf’s relationship with Vita to life makes a case for Woolf as one of literature’s inaugural punks. Virginia and her contemporaries in the Bloomsbury Group share more with David Bowie and Tracey Emin than they really do with many of their contemporaries. Drawing these parallels was incredibly exciting to me.

I think the past has a huge amount to teach us about how we can approach the future. Vita and Virginia’s attitudes toward love, marriage, sexuality, and mental health were extremely progressive. So the world of our film is one that feels strikingly resonant with our own. Gemma Arterton, who plays Vita, brought me the script, knowing my love for all things Woolfian. What evolved was an irresistible opportunity to collaborate with her, Elizabeth Debicki, and Eileen Atkins on a film that explores female sexuality, creativity, and friendship.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

CB: I want people to feel moved and spoken to. I want them to leave feeling optimistic about the idea that there are times when we can rescue ourselves from the experiences that threaten to derail us. I want them to leave feeling optimistic about creativity, love, and the generosity of the human spirit. I want them to leave feeling that films like “Vita & Virginia” are for everyone, not just those who already know about the period or the subject matter.

Most of all, I want audiences to leave feeling like they have seen women onscreen that they can relate to, women who reflect and speak to some of their own experiences.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

CB: In terms of cinematography and production design, the visual world we built was incredibly ambitious, and one that we also challenged ourselves to take an expressionistic approach to. We built a remixed version of 1920s Bloomsbury and each performance was a response to, rather than an impression of, the person they were bringing to life as a character.

The responsibility of being custodians of history and literature that people already felt a profound connection to was enormous. At the same time, we were dedicated to infusing our own voices as creatives into the project.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

CB: Our film benefitted hugely from the support of the Irish Film Board. They are super discerning and supporting of emerging filmmakers. They really gave me an enormous amount of freedom to tell the story I wanted to tell.

Working with Protagonist as our international sales agent was also a huge coup. They are incredible facilitators of independent filmmakers and that’s something very rare. They supported my creative choices every step of the way and advocated for those choices with all of our distributors.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

CB: The greatest thing about being a filmmaker is that it is truly a collaborative art. I have a team that I work with time and time again who are truly gifted. It is the most nourishing thing to grow a little opportunity and find a language together. That’s something that’s an ongoing inspiration.

Looking around at the filmmaking family that I am accumulating and creating opportunities for us is what drives me forward. To see the talented people I work with flourish is a great joy and privilege.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

CB: The best advice I received was to think carefully about why everyone is in the room and use that as a basis to work with them. Thinking about the needs of others and working to create a kind and happy workplace is just about the best thing you could do. Making a film is an incredibly intense experience so being self-aware and generous as possible with your treatment of your cast and crew is the only way I would ever aim to work.

I haven’t retained any of the bad advice, so couldn’t repeat it! I suppose implying that one should go into a room and say anything other than the truth is terrible advice! Saying what you think an actor, a producer, or a financier wants to hear always ends badly! Be transparent: people will always respond to this best.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

CB: I would rather offer solidarity than advice! Navigating your way through this industry is like learning a language you will forever be perfecting. I guess the message I want to put out there is that I support every other woman trying to make work, and I hope we all remain committed to being outspoken about our experiences in doing so.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

CB: It will probably sound incredibly obvious given the film I have just made, but I think Sally Potter made an incredible piece of work with “Orlando.” Its sheer visual ambition and creativity made me believe that it’s a film that Virginia Woolf would have been hugely excited by and proud to have inspired. I think it’s a really visionary film.

W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

CB: I think it’s becoming more acceptable to be open about your experience as a woman in what remains a male-dominated industry. I think there is — and I hope there remains — an openness and hunger for different parts of the female experience to make it onscreen. Gemma Arterton’s film “The Escape,” for instance, blew me away: I really felt like I had never seen that side of femininity portrayed onscreen before.

But I think there is still so much change that needs to happen!