Kristen Stewart on getting her film financed: Had to leave the US to make it possible

Stewart’s film premiered at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on Friday in the Un Certain Regard section.

Hollywood actor Kristen Stewart says it wasn’t easy to secure financing for her directorial debut 'The Chronology of Water'.

Stewart’s film premiered at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on Friday in the Un Certain Regard section. Featuring Imogen Poots in the lead, the film is based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir. Known for her work in projects such as Twilight Saga and Clouds of Sils Maria, Stewart said she had to go to Europe to get finances for her film.

"We had to leave the United States (and go to Europe) to make this possible," she said at the film gala, according to the entertainment news outlet The Hollywood Reporter. "The list of women and men (actors) that can finance a movie in the entertainment industry are so beyond me. They change so quickly and I don’t understand them at all," she added.

Stewart was in conversation with the Chronology actor and musician Kim Gordon at Hyde Beach by Campari held by Breaking Through Lens, a non-profit group focused on helping any filmmakers who experience marginalisation due to their gender get their projects financed.

The 35-year-old actor-director — who recently married screenwriter-producer Dylan Meyer — said she thought she wasn’t the right choice to star in Chronology, but is open to featuring in her own directorial in future. "I would love to (act) in something I direct, and I will do it soon, I hope. I feel like I am watching my kid (referring to her first directorial) in kindergarten like, ‘Look at her go!’," she said.

At the event, Simbelle Productions founder Lauren Melinda announced the Simbelle Impact Award, a USD 10,000 unrestricted grant which is given to one finalist of the next Breaking Through Lens grant cycle. Cannes 2025 will come to a close on May 24.