Sarah Polley: The Movieline Interview

I was researching other projects of yours before meeting you, and I was surprised how few acting or directing projects you have on the horizon. What do you attribute that to?

Making films take years! I'm going to shoot my next film in the summer, and I've been making a documentary for a year, so... I mean, it just takes longer. But my focus has really been on writing and directing and not so much on acting, but that might change in the future. It just takes years.

What can you tell me about your documentary?

It's a film about storytelling and memory and the way we fictionalize our lives.

"Fictionalize our lives"? Can you elaborate?

Not really! Not until it's done. I'm kind of at a loss for how to speak about it.

What about the narrative project?

The narrative project is about a relationship. It's part drama, part romantic comedy, and I have a really exciting cast that I can't announce yet, at least until everything is signed. [The project was just announced this morning as Take This Waltz, starring Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams.] But it's really exciting.

Your previous film, Away From Her, found a warm reception at Sundance three years ago. What does bringing a film to this festival mean to you?

Well, it's an amazing festival because it's always about the films. The programmers keep an emphasis on the filmmakers, and I think they've been successful where a lot of others haven't been, and they've been really singly focused on keeping this about independent film. So while all this glitz and glamour jumps up around it, and there's a market, they don't care about that and don't try to facilitate that. What they try to facilitate is a really amazing cultural event. And I think they do a great job of it.

Do you have a favorite Sundance story or experience?

You know, the thing about it that's kind of hilarious is that it's all one, snowy street. So in terms of star sightings, generally they happen as you're about to smash into somebody. It's such a claustrophobic, small place. It's just hilarious.

And of course people have the same feeling about bumping into you. What kind of advice or mentorship do you offer when asked?

I don't know about being a mentor, but I would say there's an environment of sharing information between filmmakers here. So that's kind of great.

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