Wait. What? Goth Photog Floria Sigismondi directed 'The Runaways'?

Floria Sigismondi

Floria getting ready for prom

​
Why didn't anyone tell me this? All this time I've been making Runaway jokes, and chuckling to my friends about the implausibility of Dakota Fanning rocking out with her socks out and the endless media coverage of Kristen Stewart's hair. And no one had the huevos (rancheros) to say, "um, Mr. Tewksbury, Floria Sigismondi, the director responsible for Marilyn Manson's early videos, and super-goth photographer is spearheading this preteen punk epic." Anyone?

Well, it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. I should have updated my Google reader for alerts regarding sales increases at Hot Topic and Torrid, because with the teen goth aesthetic of Sigismondi added to the meowing, riotgrrlpower Runaways surely will bolster the esteems of youth group rebels, drama kids and angsty clarinetists everywhere. But Sigismondi is actually pretty influential as a director, and her visual choices are typically bold. That whole creepy, sped up shaky cam thing that was in every rapmetal video of the 90's was pretty much pioneered by her (and Chris Cunningham). She took the whole Joel Peter Witkin (stolen by Mark Romanek) and Jan Saudek (bought by, cough, Soul Asylum), and ran with it. And she enters the painfully under-represented pantheon of female writer/directors. Doesn't mean the movie will be good, but it is coming from an immensely talented woman with a bottomless well of creativity.

Check out her track record after the jump:

The Runaways:

Floria Sigismondi

​

Marilyn Manson:

Floria Sigismondi

​

Interpol:

Fiona Apple:

White Stripes:

Ranconteurs:

Floria Sigismondi

​

This is her debut short film:

Amon Tobin: