Chloë Sevigny to make directorial debut at Cannes with film about a kitten

Kitty is a magical realist tale of transformation

Chloë Sevigny in 1996 ((Picture: Chloë Sevigny/Rizzoli))

Okay, well it’s a little more complex and Kafkaesque than that - Chloë Sevigny is making an adaptation of Paul Bowles' short story Kitty, which is about a young girl who dreams of being a kitten and then one day finds herself transformed into one.

“I chose the story because it had an element of magical realism to it that is something that I always have enjoyed watching, as a viewer, in films,” she told the Cut of the short film. “And I wanted to do kind of a throwback to kind of those ’80s films where they had an element of practical effects and makeup and stuff, and I could incorporate all that.

“It was also about transformation and a girl’s relationship with her mother, and just a lot of themes that rang true to me.”

Sevigny, best known for her acting roles in American Psycho, Kids and Zodiac, hopes directing the short will lead her to feature projects.

“That’s the intention, to use it as a calling card to make features,” she added.

Kitty will premiere at Cannes Film Festival in May.