First Look: Kristen Stewart’s ‘The Chronology of Water’

Kristen Stewart’s directing debut, “The Chronology of Water,” is officially going to Cannes, where it will play in sidebar Un Certain Regard. A first look image has now been released.

The delay in Cannes announcing Stewart’s film as part of this year’s lineup stemmed in part from the festival’s request to shorten its runtime. Stewart agreed to the edits, and the decision appears to have paid off — ‘Chronology’ was officially added to the selection yesterday afternoon.

The project, based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s cult-favorite memoir, has been simmering in the Hollywood underground for nearly a decade. With auteurist ambitions in tow, Stewart co-wrote the screenplay herself — “with Yuknavitch’s blessing” — and eventually secured a home for the film under Ridley Scott’s indie-focused Scott Free banner.

Imogen Poots — ever the underrated actress — soon after signed on to portray Lidia, giving the project its long-awaited heartbeat. The memoir has been described as “the story of a woman’s journey through trauma, loss, and ultimately, self-reinvention,” offering a raw and unflinching account of her experiences with “abuse, addiction, love, and artistic awakening.”

It's worth noting that Stewart's fellow actor, Scarlett Johansson, had already secured a spot in this year's Un Certain Regard competition with her buzzy directorial debut, "Eleanor the Great." Harris Dickinson, another actor, is also part of the UCR competition with his own debut, "Urchin."

Johansson, Stewart, and Dickinson will be joined in the Un Certain Regard competition by a slew of first- and second-time filmmakers, including Harry Lighton, Charlie Polinger, and Akinola Davies Jr. They'll have big shoes to fill, as last year's UCR slate featured a number of standout titles, including "The Story of Souleymane," "Flow," "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl," and "Holy Cow."