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[gkfi]

I know this news have already came out for a while, but thought Kirsten's director debut deserves its own thread. So, anyway...

Actresses Kirsten Dunst, Kate Hudson and Rita Wilson are following in the footsteps of Jennifer Aniston by directing short films, based on true stories submitted to American magazine Glamour. The stars will all make their directorial debuts - as Aniston did last year, Star Pulse informs.

The actresses have each been given an estimated $500,000 to shoot their movies for the publication's third annual Reel Moments. They have just three days to shoot their films.

The January issue of Glamour asked its readers to send in stories about an event in their lives which left them feeling strong, wise or happy. Dunst, Hudson and Wilson then selected a submission to film.

Hudson has cast her mother's longtime partner Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning in her film, while Wilson has signed up Jeanne Tripplehorn and Aisha Tyler to star in hers. A panel will select a winner at the October 9 Los Angeles premiere of the three shorts.

Kirsten will helm a ghost story she is writing herself, based on a letter sent in to Glamour magazine by a reader.

Kirsten said: "I'm directing my first short this summer. It's a ghost story. They're totally giving me carte blanche. I pick the letter. I write my script. I pick everyone I want to collaborate with, it's great."

I'm wondering whether Michelle William would be able to star in this short film.

[gkfi]

Here's the Variety article about this:

Stars take Glamour shots
Magazine's directors ready for closeups
By ANNE THOMPSON

This summer, production begins in Los Angeles on Glamour magazine's third series of Reel Moments, three short films directed by Hollywood insiders.

The shorts from 2007's rookie directors, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Hudson and Rita Wilson, are based on true stories submitted by Glamour readers.

Past first-timers include Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Bryce Dallas Howard and writer Talia Lugacy, whose popular "Little Black Dress" yielded a directing gig on the upcoming revenge thriller "The Descent," starring Rosario Dawson.

In a contest in Glamour's January issue, the magazine asked readers to submit essays of 750 words or less about an event in their lives that made them feel strong, wise or happy. After Glamour culled thousands of entries down to hundreds, Dunst, Hudson and Wilson each picked one story to adapt and shoot in L.A. with a mid-six-figure budget in just three days: no reshoots.

Hudson starts filming in several weeks in Altadena. The '70s-period father-daughter story stars Kurt Russell opposite Dakota Fanning, comedian Kevin Hart and Chevy Chase. "I'll get my brothers out there stopping traffic," said Hudson, who has always enjoyed writing. "Directing is something I always thought I'd do, but not in this way."

Wilson heard about the series from Trudie Styler, whose short "Wait," debuted in 2005. Aniston, who shot her film "Room 10" last year, offered support through the process, said Wilson, who has already filmed "The Trap" with director of photography Don Burgess at a landmark movie house in downtown L.A. "I called in some favors," said the actress, who also took input from husband Tom Hanks. "It's a story about someone getting in touch with who she is." Jeanne Tripplehorn, Aisha Tyler, Camilla Bell and Channing Tatum star.

Dunst will shoot her short in August.

This year, Glamour will invite aspiring women filmmakers to apply for a filmmaking grant, said Glamour vice president and publisher Bill Wackermann. A committee of Glamour's short film alumnae will select the winner, who will be announced at the October 9 L.A. premiere of the 2007 shorts, which are presented by Clinique.

The shorts will also debut at theaters in the hometowns of the winning Glamour essayists and will be available for streaming at glamour.com and clinique.com. DVDs of the individual shorts will be distributed in 2,300 Clinique stores. They will eventually be available for download at iTunes, whose customers have watched the first-season shorts some 700,000 times.

Glamour is also organizing the first Reel Moments Summit in the L.A. area in January, which will bring together series alumnae with other Hollywood women to discuss the state of women in film and what stories should be told. " 'Transformers' is not the story," said Wackermann. "These are inspiring stories for women. I hope popular culture will continue to pick up the message of these films."

Thanks to their star power, Reel Moments shorts have grabbed gobs of media attention for Glamour, which boasts a circulation of 2.5 million. Paltrow's "Dealbreaker" screened at the Sundance Film Festival; altogether, the shorts have played 25 festivals. The song that Styler's husband, Sting, performed in her short, "Wait," won a Grammy. Oprah Winfrey devoted an entire show to the project's positive impact on women in film.

Wackermann came up with the Reel Moments concept 3 ? years ago with associate publisher Leslie Russo. "We knew what our message about empowering women looks like inside the magazine," he said. "What would it look like outside? We took real readers and made films about real women. And we asked A-list actresses to be part of it. After Gwyneth Paltrow, other actresses heard about it. There's a community of women in Hollywood."

Freestyle's Francesca Silvestri has produced the shorts from the series' inception.

[hamlet]

Well, I am glad that Kirstin gets this kind of chance, and that she can do it with someone else's money.  But....surely they could extend a few meagre invitations out to guys also?

Hamlet

[Adriano]

I have heard Michelle Williams will star in it? Is it the true?

[gkfi]

They both talked about this during interviews, but I guess it's all up to Michelle's schedule in August. I sure hope she would star in this. 

[hamlet]

Of course, I don't have a very good idea about when Kirsten D. got notice of the chance to direct.  But when did she write the screenplay?  It seems like she has been busy one way or another since February or March of this year (boyfriend, art school, filming, dancing, and film debuts).   Did she write part of it as she was filming "How to Lose..."?  What is anyone's guess as to when she could have written it?  If she's filming in August, it has to be written I think.

Hamlet

[Adriano]

I absolutely want to see Kirsten's pictures on the set as director...

[Duck69]

I absolutely want to see Kirsten's pictures on the set as director...

So do I...

@+++ Tony

[John.]

Here's an update for everyone.
Kirsten flew back to Los Angeles last wednesday after completing filming in London for 'How To Lose Friends And Alienate People'. I think she'll be travelling to New York either tomorrow or monday for the final weeks filming.
In the meantime (and just to prove i've not posted this in the wrong thread ) Kirsten is directing her Reel Moments film in Los Angeles. I believe filming began on thursday (but it may have been friday). I've not got any info re the cast yet but i don't believe that Kirsten herself will be appearing in the film.
Obviously i'll update if and when i get more info.

[gkfi]

Thanks for the update, John!!! You're truly the ultimate source for any Kirsten related info.

Can't wait to see Kirsten's pictures on the set as director!

[kforab]

Hi John,

Thanks for the update...
Why you have so goos information? You met maybe Kiki in London ? :-) :-) If yes youre so lucky :-) :-)
I nearly was to buy tickets from Austria to London just to go around 2 nights in pubs in Islington to see if my friend Ania and I maybe meet her...
Now we dont go to London.
My friend Ania is a big big fan of Kirsten, but very sick (has strong diabete :-(

She told if you met Kirsten and you have contact to her just tell her please that she was great in "Elisabethtown" and that her greatest whish is to meet her maybe one day...... but

Bye and thanks!
Klaus

[markkegel]

I think Kirsten will be back in London any time soon, like this year!

[kforab]

I hope I know it soon enaugh to book a flight :-)
And I hope she will frequent her pub in Islington again... maybe without drinking so much...

[John.]

Quick update, which will no doubt please gkfi  .
I've just added to the gallery some pics of Kirsten on-set last friday.   

[Glen]

Never seen Kirsten directing a movie before and by the looks of it I think she can handle things pretty well. 

This will be a good start for her towards film-making.