Behind-the-scenes queen: Check out all of Kristen Stewart’s off-camera work

Some would have you believe that indie queer sensation Kristen Stewart hasn’t moved past her drippy performance as soppy-eyed bore Bella Swann in the admittedly embarrassing Twilight saga. Apparently these people have stunted their movie watching since 2012, as K-Stew’s post-Stephenie Meyer career has seen nothing but hard-hitting gems and emotional powerhouse performances.

From her enviable life as arthouse director Olivier Assayas’s muse to her consistent championing of female & LGBTQI filmmakers, Stewart has managed to retain her integrity as a talent to watch by wisely ditching the blockbuster scene and making a name for herself as an indie queen.

We adore her work with Assayas in Clouds of Sil Maria and the chillingly intimate Personal Shopper, and her performance in Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women against cinematic greats Laura Dern and Michelle Williams shines through in a film already brimming with talent.

We can’t wait to see K-Stew in her first blockbuster flick since Breaking Dawn Part 2, Elizabeth’s Banks’s revitalized Charlie’s Angels, and her action streak is set to continue in two more disaster thrillers this year, Underwater and Against All Enemies. Film Daily has always championed Stewart’s work in front of the camera, but we wanted to take a hot sec to appreciate all her work behind the scenes.

Here’s a comprehensive list of Kristen Stewart’s past & future off-camera projects.

Directorial feature debut

After working for years with some of the best indie directors in the biz, it’s no surprise Stewart feels confident enough to take the reins herself. Inspired by the life and memoirs of Lidia Yuknavitch, her feature debut will adapt the true-life drama The Chronology of Water.

Speaking during an interview with the Cannes Film Festival, she predicted: “I’m going to write the best f**king female role” – though she’ll be opting to stay behind the camera. “My only goal is to finish the screenplay and hire a really spectacular actor.”

Who that actor will be is yet to be decided, but with Kristen Stewart behind the camera we can be sure the project will attract stellar talent. The film is described as a dissection of how trauma and societal expectations can damage female sexuality, telling a nontraditional story of a woman’s bisexuality with poise & tenderness.

Short film

If you can’t wait for the undisclosed release date of The Chronology of Water, make sure you get a taste of Stewart’s directing capabilities in the interim with her short film debut, Come Swim. Screened during the Cannes and Sundance film festivals in 2017, it was met with rapturous praise: critics applauded its surrealist sensibilities that maintained an impressive level of emotional discipline.

Expect experimentation, a script bereft of dialogue, and plenty of unsubtle allegorical leanings towards loss and depression, but also prep yourself to become immediately interested in what Stewart does next.

Music videos

Many directors turn to music videos throughout their career for a chance to flex their creative muscles, let loose, and go a little crazy. Just take a look at Edgar Wright, Spike Jonze, and Sophia Coppola.

Before she made the leap to short films & features, Stewart took a leaf out of the books of the masters that came before her, directing the naturalistic, somber accompaniment to Sage + The Saints’s single, “Take Me to the South”. Following her short film, she also teamed up with Chvrches for a live version of their indie hit “Down Side of Me”.

Indie icon

It’s impossible to list all of Stewart’s accolades within mainstream & independent cinematic circles, but we’ll give it a damn good try. As well as receiving wins & nominations for various trophies including a César Award, a Screen Actors Guild nom, and numerous critics’ awards, she stood as a member of Cannes’s jury in 2018 and was recently inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017.

Needless to say, Stewart’s fashion is always on point. After being named Glamour’s “Best Dressed Woman” in 2015, it’s no surprise she’s now an ambassador for Chanel and Balenciaga.

As well as being an absolute screen icon, K-Stew’s a pioneer of LGBTQI representation in media. An outspoken social activist, she’s spoken frequently about feminism and her current & upcoming film roles are finally reflecting her prominence as a bisexual goddess. We can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.