Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, a short film titled The Vagabond Shows, starring Kevin Bacon, will premiere as part of the opening night of LA Shorts Fest ’09, which runs July 23-31 at the Sunset 5 Laemmle Theater in West Hollywood.

Johansson will appear and take part in a Q&A.

The festival, which will screen more than 300 films, is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying fest for Oscar consideration.

SOURCE

This means another appearance very soon!  We will of course keep you all updated as we learn more.

EW has confirmed that Scarlett Johansson’s first directorial effort, a movie short starring Kevin Bacon, has been left on the cutting room floor of the upcoming anthology film New York, I Love You. But, contrary to the many Internet rumors, it’s not because the footage was unwatchable. “It’s not a bad piece at all,” says one insider on the film. “In fact, I quite liked it.”

So why axe Scarlett’s piece? It seems her somber story about an obsessive-compulsive man who only finds peace when he reaches Coney Island and buys a hot dog just didn’t jive with the rest of the shorts. “It’s shot in black and white and there’s very little dialogue or interpersonal relationships,” explains the insider. “It just didn’t work in the context of the movie.”

Scarlett Johansson’s dream of being a director was dashed on her first try.

Johansson — who’s said in the past she’d prefer to direct rather than act — helmed a segment for the upcoming movie New York, I Love You, a series of intertwined love stories shot by several auteurs, including Brett Ratner and Natalie Portman.

But unfortunately for Johansson, her segment, starring Kevin Bacon and shot in black and white, was deemed “unwatchable,” sources said.

“It was really bad, so it was cut,” one insider told Page Six. Andrei Zvyagintsev’s segment starring Carla Gugino and Goran Visnjic was also cut from the final edit.

But the film’s producer, Emmanuel Benbihy, told us Johansson’s bit ended up in the scrapheap not because it was bad, but because “the story did not specifically involve an interpersonal relationship, and it was conceptualized to be filmed in black and white — both of which were extreme departures from the other films.”

Benbihy added, “Scarlett presented me with an extremely compelling, albeit unconventional, narrative that appeared as though it would not necessarily conform to the overall approach of the entire collective . . . However, I was very much moved by her vision and I did not want to pass on the opportunity to help her develop it. All that matters to me is the genuine movie language of the author.”

He continued: “Scarlett and I nonetheless agreed that a final determination of its appropriateness in the context of the other contributions and the overall story would be best made in the editorial process. And after months of editing . . . I had to admit that there were editorial decisions to be made in the interest of serving the overall narrative and composition that resulted in previously filmed scenes and footage not getting used.”

Johansson and Zvyagintsev’s “visions” will be shown on the DVD, however.

Speaking of public events, Scarlett will not attend the September 19 Vicky Cristina Barcelona premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival, unlike previously mentioned. She will not be promoting the movie in Europe. I believe she is still expected to appear on the Stand Up To Cancer telethon on September 5. And then New York, I Love You will premiere in Toronto on September 6. I am not sure if she will attend the premiere.

The Spirit character poster for Scarlett Johansson’s Silken Floss has now been released and it is really cool. Her tagline reads: “On your knees then…” :biggrin: Check it and another newly released Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) poster in the gallery.

I also added a New York, I Love You teaser poster, which does not feature Scarlett.

GALLERY LINKS:
- The Spirit: Posters & Covers
- New York, I Love You: Posters & Covers

GALLERY LINKS:
- Magazines: FHM (UK) – June 2008 – 100 Sexiest
- Magazines: Celebrity (The Netherlands) – May 2008
- Magazines: Tele Swiat (Poland) – March 17, 2008
- The Nanny Diaries: DVD Screencaptures > Deleted Scenes
- New York, I Love You: On the Set – March 12, 2008

Pic is produced by Emmanuel Benbihy and Marina Grasic.

The companies plan to release the film early next year. Shooting is almost two-thirds complete.

Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson make their helming debuts on two of the shorts, all of which are love stories of various kinds. Among helmers onboard are Brett Ratner and Fatih Akin, and the cast already includes Kevin Bacon, Orlando Bloom, Julie Christie, Chris Cooper and Shia LaBeouf.

Theme pic follows Benbihy’s subtitled Paris, je t’aime, which grossed a surprising $4.9 million domestically last year. The concept of revolving stories centered on a specific city will be further developed, with versions based in Asia, South America and Africa planned.

For Vivendi Entertainment, the pic reps a new chapter. Formerly known as Vivendi Visual Entertainment and no relation to the conglom that owns 20% of NBC Universal, the company is an established player in the DVD space. It recently announced an expansion into theatrical releasing with plans to partner with filmmakers to distribute a slate of eight to 14 films per year.

Vivendi and Palm, of which Grasic is a managing partner, have had a DVD distribution deal for three years.

Source: Variety