CULTURE WATCH

Miu Miu’s acclaimed series of short films, the Women’s Tales, was screened together for the first time as part of the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days program last weekend.The short films, by four leading international female directors, show how the Miu Miu short film platform has managed to combine credible filmmaking themes and a strong feminine point of view with fashion.

The four films in the series are: The Powder Room, directed by Zoe Cassavetes; Muta, directed by Lucrecia Martel; The Woman Dress, directed by Giada Colagrande and It’s Getting Late, directed by Massy Tadjedin, which made its premiere at the festival.

Some of the leading stars of contemporary cinema including Gemma Arterton, Patricia Clarkson, Aubrey Plaza, Rinko Kikuchi and Maya Sansa lead the all-female casts, and soundtracks are scored by some of music’s finest new talents including Au Revoir Simone and Zola Jesus. The diverse films, set in LA, London, a witches’ cavern and a mysterious ship, explore feminine rituals, codes and gestures, each touching on the theme of being a woman.

Each director applies their distinctive point of view through their particular film style, with elements of melodrama, surrealism and film noir reflecting the world of Miu Miu. Highlights from the Miu Miu collections take leading roles too— sunglasses, accessories and key looks from the ready-to-wear collections are all beautifully showcased—and are central to the narratives.

Giada Colagrande, who directed last year’s film The Woman Dress, may have put it best when she said: “Cinema is the most powerful way to express fashion because you’re working with moving images. You see the work as it exists.” Also worth noting is Miu Miu’s super feminine style, which works so well within the framework of women directing women.