Sundance London 2018: A chat with the directors of Skate Kitchen, Half of the Picture, An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, Leave No Trace and The Tale

Away from the hustle and bustle of the red carpet, we caught up with the directors behind some of the year’s most exciting films at Sundance London 2018.

Skate Kitchen follows a sisterhood of young female skaters in New York, charting their growing friendship as they struggle through the trials of growing up. The coming-of-age tale is one of discovery and diversity, about overcoming taboos and navigating womanhood.

We had a chat with director Crystal Moselle about how she came to make the film and the importance of doing what you enjoy and excel at, regardless of your gender.

When it comes to female filmmaking, Amy Adrion’s documentary Half the Picture delves right to the heart of the issue. Interviewing figures such as Ava DuVernay, Lena Dunham and Sam Taylor-Wood, the feature explores the inequality which still pervades Hollywood, sharing the hopes, fears inspiration and struggles of some of the most successful women in the industry.

We spoke to Adrion about the importance of highlighting discriminatory practices, and the pertinence of her film at this particular political moment.

Moving now from hard reality to absurd comedy, Jim Hosking’s An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn sits at the opposite end of the cinematic spectrum. The surreal dark comedy, starring Aubrey Plaza and Jemaine Clement, tells the tale of a nauseating oddball couple who will do anything to attend a live performance from the titular singer, who is on stage for one night only.

We heard from the director about his weird and wonderful characters and asked him to sum up his unique style.

Last but certainly not least, we caught up with Debra Granik, the American auteur behind survival tale Leave No Trace. Telling the story of a daughter and her ex-military father living off the grid in a national park, the film explores the challenges that come with removing oneself from modern civilisation, charting the duo’s attempt to maintain their anonymity in a rejection of societal norms.

Granik told us about what drew her to adapt the story from a novel, the cinematic appeal of characters living against the grain and the importance of her actors in bringing to life the bond between father and daughter.

Director Jennifer Fox had a challenging adaptation process in turning her own true story of childhood sexual abuse into hard-hitting and harrowing drama, The Tale. We heard from the American auteur as she explained the importance of film as a means for reconstructing memories.