Floria Sigismondi may not be a familiar name to movie audiences, but there’s a good chance you’ve encountered her work. Over a 20-odd-year career, the Italian-born photographer turned director has made music clips for artists including David Bowie, The Cure, Bjork and The White Stripes, priming her for her debut feature this year, The Runaways. Written and directed by Sigismondi, the film charts the combustible short life of influential ’70s all-girl band The Runaways, with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning rocking out of character in the lead roles of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. We spoke with the director recently and asked her to name her all-time five favorite films.
What I love about it is that Kubrick’s making a social statement and it’s very kind of hyper-real. It’s a world that I love so much — it’s slightly futuristic.
The Tenant (1976,
90% Tomatometer)
I’m really drawn to that film because it was always riding that fine line between sanity and insanity, and how anybody can kind of go off into that insane world. And actually you don’t know. It was really striking to me, and also [Polanski’s] performance in that film is pretty amazing.
I love, and am finding a new interest in, Edward Scissorhands, with the outsider and how he’s not finished. There’s something really endearing and close to my heart about that one. It was just beautiful.
Sid & Nancy (1986,
90% Tomatometer)
The way it captured that scene; and again, there are really amazing performances in that movie.
Mamma Roma (1962,
100% Tomatometer)
It’s Anna Magnani, with this little kid, and she’s a prostitute. I love Pasolini’s films; they’re very political and really kind of deal with everyday people, and there’s something quite beautiful about that one.
Click here for our full interview with Floria Sigismondi, in whch she talks more about The Runaways.
