Natalie Portman is no stranger to the world of directing, having helmed two short features in the past, most notably a segment in the romantic melange New York, I love You. However, the actress-cum-filmmaker is now primed to make her directorial debut with the feature-length adaptation, A Tale of Love and Darkness.
Lifted from the pages of Amos Oz’s acclaimed 2002 autobiographical novel, Portman’s involvement in the project is multi-faceted. Not only will the Thor: The Dark World star call the shots from behind the lens, Love and Darkness will see her work on the screenplay and star in the film as Fania Oz. In essence, the movie will center around a journalist and writer, who takes a stand as an advocate of a potential two-state solution to the longstanding conflict between Israel and Palestine. A timely feature, then, and with a worldwide premiere pegged for Cannes, Portman will be hoping to make a good first impression as director.
Gilad Kahana, Shira Haas and Makram Khoury round out the cast for A Tale of Love and Darkness, and below you’ll find an additional image from the set of the film courtesy of a Natalie Portman fan site.
A Tale of Love and Darkness is headed to Cannes film festival where it will have a special screening alongside the likes of Amnesia and Samuel Benchetrit’s Asphalte. The annual event is poised to kick off on May 13, and we’ll be bringing you all the news pertaining to the competition hopefuls as it breaks.
Based on Amos Oz’s international best-seller, A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS is the story of Oz’s youth at the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel. The film details young Amos’ relationship with his mother and his birth as a writer, looking at what happens when the stories we tell, become the stories we live.
