Hollywood star Kristen Stewart is making waves at the Cannes Film Festival with the premiere of her first feature film as a director, The Chronology of Water, set to debut Friday night. Despite the celebratory occasion, Kristen used the platform to candidly address the persistent challenges women face when stepping behind the camera — particularly when it comes to being taken seriously as directors.
Speaking at a fireside chat hosted by the nonprofit Breaking Through the Lens and moderated by Variety, the Oscar-nominated actor didn’t hold back. “There’s this bulls**t fallacy that you need to have experience or sort of like technical adeptness, and it’s safeguarding the business. It’s a real male perspective. Like, as if it’s this difficult thing to do. Anyone can make a movie if they have something to say,” she said.
The nonprofit group that hosted the conversation, Breaking Through the Lens, focuses on advocating for gender equality in filmmaking by supporting women during the often-prohibitive financing stage. That struggle was all too familiar for Kristen, who revealed that securing funding for her debut feature proved to be the most challenging part of the filmmaking process.
“But there’s no amount of learning or skill, like that’s just crap. If you can just feel allowed to communicate and therefore get in touch with something that wants to come out, a film will come out of you. It shouldn’t have taken so long … And I can’t wait for the next one,” she said.
The Chronology of Water is adapted from the 2011 memoir by author Lidia Yuknavitch. The film stars Imogen Poots in the role of Yuknavitch, following her life over four decades as she discovers her voice through writing and finds healing through swimming — ultimately becoming a writer, mother, teacher, and an empowered individual.
While Kristen has directed before — notably the short film Come Swim, which premiered at Sundance in 2017, along with several music videos — The Chronology of Water marks her debut in feature-length storytelling. She explained how that perceived inexperience led to doubts among potential investors. “They’re like, ‘I don’t know if she’s right.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I am! I’ve done this forever,’” she said with a laugh.
