We saw her in the cinema in
The Runaways
,
Mad Max: Fury Road
or
American Honey
, and on the small screen in the series
The Girlfriend experience
.
But if Riley Keough is present at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, it is to present her first film,
War Pony
, co-directed with the American Gina Gammell, and selected in the Un Certain Regard category.
"It's a dream come true," she said during the Women In Motion talk on May 20, organized by the Kering group.
“When we create something, we tend to say to ourselves that at most, what we have done is “ok”.
A selection at Cannes acts as validation, because it means that others have found your film to be good.”
Accompanied by Gina Gammell, Riley Keough returned to the genesis of
War Pony
, to her beginnings as an actress, and also spoke about the heritage of her famous family: the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, and daughter of Lisa-Marie Presley indeed presented her film the same year in which Baz Luhrmann, for his part, screened his biopic of the King for the first time in Cannes.
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A vocation
Riley Keough has always wanted to be a director, before being an actress: “Already, very young, I made small films with my friends”.
War Pony
is a learning film, which tells the story of two young men living on an Indian reservation.
A project that took seven years to complete;
the two co-directors were first friends with them, before they had the idea, all together, of making the film: “This project started as a hobby, and something changed little by little.
We spoke at length with the boys, learned all the details of their story.
It was important that the film be authentic and true to their experience.”
Like all first-time directors, Riley Keough had to struggle to find funding.
And observe that men, when they make a first film, encounter fewer difficulties.
Hence the fact that there are fewer women behind the cameras.
“This year, there are only 5 female directors in the running for the Palme d'Or.
But what I really wonder is how many of them were able to apply because they had managed to make their film.
Memories of the King
One of the events of this 75th Film Festival will be the screening of
Elvis
, a biopic by Baz Luhrmann.
Riley Keough saw the film a few days earlier, in the company of her mother and her grandmother, Priscilla Presley: “It was a very intense moment.
But from the first images, I could see how much work and heart
Baz and Austin (Butler, the actor who plays Elvis Presley, editor's
note ) had put into the film.
Riley Keough also revealed that the Aussie director asked his family about many aspects of the King's life: "There's a lot of family drama in the film which makes it unsettling to watch.
But Baz worked with immense respect.”
Riley Keough recognizes that her name could have opened doors for her: “When I started my acting career, it was easier for me to find an agent.
Being a member of the Presley clan helped.
But then, only the work counts.
During my first shoots, I was very nervous.
Perhaps even more because of my family heritage.”
War Pony
opens a new chapter in his career.
Where his name will ring out more and more for himself.
