“Debuting as a director in Cannes has made my dream come true”
Actress and model Riley Keough premiered this week at the Cannes Film Festival her first film as a director, ‘War Pony’, selected in the Una Certain Miranda section. The filmmaker is also the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, from whom she inherited her passion for art. Keough, 32, is making his feature film debut with Gina Gammell, a film that tells the story of two young men from the Lakota tribe on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. “This is a very difficult project for a directorial debut, as it involved shooting in an open-air Indian reservation, in an area where the weather is challenging. We have to deal with blizzards, with floods, with the bureaucracy of these places. But the horror of the set is going to be amazing behind the scenes, because there’s nothing more beautiful to me than this part of America,” Keough said. The director was aware that she had no direct relationship with the protagonists, other than mere friendship, and explained that she needed to tell this story to give a voice to those who don’t have one.
“It is not the fruit of a funny thought. I want the world to see how shocking it is to live on a reservation in America. It is the third world within the first world. People don’t have access to education, it’s difficult for them to get even the simplest things like a driver’s license or a birth certificate,” explains the director. Although it was initially not in his plans to go to the Cannes festival, he hesitated. he didn’t say a moment when the opportunity presented itself. “We were notified at the last minute. I got a little dizzy because it made me dizzy. It’s a very personal project that we did with friends and sometimes you forget that people coming to this festival is a dream come true,” said Keough. The now director pointed out that from childhood she had the ambition to direct and write scripts. “I made movies with my friends and never starred in them. Acting was something I wanted to do, but later. My original wish was to write and direct. I started acting because I wanted to try everything and I felt like I was going to like it.
The granddaughter of the King of Rock admitted that she felt privileged because of the opportunities she has had in Hollywood. “I am well aware that doors open more easily for me than others, but I struggled to get funding for ‘War Pony'”. Keough revealed that it seemed almost magical to her that her family history accompanied her in her directorial debut, which is that Baz Luhrmann’s film Elvis will be presented at the contest tomorrow. “It’s pure magic to see my family’s life on screen as I’m just presenting my film. It’s crazy to have my first film as a director and at the same time have the premiere of my grandfather’s film at the festival. I repeat myself, but I just can’t believe it. I find it so interesting. I tell someone’s story and Baz tells ours. At first I was worried about the idea because I am very protective of my family. But after seeing the film I was fascinated. Baz has spoken to everyone in our family and made sure they are doing their job the right way. It shows from the first minutes that he wanted to respect our family. And Austin did a great job as my grandfather. I can’t wait for the whole world to see Elvis.”
Keough says her family history has shaped her as an artist. “I wouldn’t be who I am without my grandfather, my grandmother and my mother.” His grandmother Priscilla Presley and his mother, singer Lisa Marie Presley, helped the Australian filmmaker with the Elvis script. “I feel like his story is my story. The first film I saw in the cinema was ‘Moulin Rouge’ (also by Luhrmann) and I am amazed to see it in Cannes,” Keough concludes.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
