Natalie Portman Attends The TIFF Premiere Of Her Directorial Debut ‘A Tale Of Love And Darkness’

Natalie Portman appeared in Toronto on Thursday for the North American premiere of her directorial debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness.

Natalie Portman Talks Directorial Debut, A Tale of Love And Darkness

Portman, who has already made a name for herself as an Academy Award-winning actress, decided to step behind the camera for the adaptation of A Tale of Love and Darkness, Amos Oz’s memoir about the establishment of Israel after World War II. A Tale of Love and Darkness first premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival, but screenings at TIFF mark the film’s North American premiere. Portman, who also adapted and stars in the film, was on hand for the big premiere.

“It’s essentially an immigrant story. Moving to a place that you’ve idealized form afar, and when you get there, idealizing the place where you cane from, which is quite a universal immigrant experience,” Portman said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Portman began working on her adaptation 10 years ago, but admitted that she worked on the project on and off for years before finally hunkering down to finish the script and move forward in developing the film. “I chose this as my first film…to direct because it was really the first time that I had really envisioned an entire film in my head while I was reading the book,” she revealed.

Portman already has a hand full of projects lined up, including playing Jackie Kennedy in Jackie, which should keep her busy acting for another few years. However, the actress is hopeful that she will get to direct again soon.

“Of course, to create your own vision, to realize your own vision, and to have all these people generously giving themselves to help create your vision is an amazing experience, and one that I hope to have again,” she said.

A Tale of Love and Darkness has yet to have a release date, but fans can watch the Hebrew-language trailer here.