Mirror Productions will soon start shooting a new film about Virginia Woolf called Vita and Virginia. The film is an adaptation of the play “Vita and Virginia” written by Dame Eileen Atkins, who also wrote the screenplay for this upcoming film. Shooting is set to being this fall and Dutch filmmaker Sacha Polak is set to direct.
The film will focus on the passionate relationship between Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, who was a celebrated poet and gardener, and is well known as being Woolf’s lover. From Mirror Productions:
Virginia and Vita’s bond continues to live on in Woolf’s canonical literature, which enjoys even more popularity today than in her lifetime. Vita and Virginia is a timeless story, told in an exciting contemporary style, about two women who smashed through social barriers to find solace in forbidden connection.
Sacha Polak, director of the film Hemel (2012) and the documentary New Boobs (2013), believes that being a Dutch director, and not an English director, gives her a unique view as an “outsider” of the English literary community. From ScreenDaily.com:
“I think it is really good that – for this project – I am an outsider and I can look on it in a fresh way,” said Polak.
“I have the feeling that in England, everybody has a strong opinion about Virginia Woolf. Either they love her of they think that the best thing she ever did was commit suicide. I am learning every day to love her more and to be more intrigued by her.”
English actress Romola Garai will play Sackville-West. While the part of Virginia Woolf has yet to be cast, producers plan to present viewers with a different interpretation of Woolf than the famous portrayal of the author by Nicole Kidman in the 2002 film The Hours. From ScreenDaily.com:
Polak insists that her film’s Woolf won’t be the “gloomy” and “depressing” figure with the prosthetic nose played by Nicole Kidman in The Hours.
“We are keen on showing another Virginia Woolf, a funny one and one that was really lively.”
Read more about this upcoming film here.
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I had the great good fortune of seeing this live – just after taking a seminar on Virginia Woolf at school. A wonderful memory.
Thank you for your addition to this post. It will be interesting to see how Virginia is portrayed in the film version of this play. What a great experience for you to get to see “Vita and Virginia” live on stage! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the film version. Thanks!