Sarah Polley on the 'biggest challenge' her film 'Women Talking' faced
Three generations of women in a religious colony convene to chart out their futures in Sarah Polley's "Women Talking."
The film is up for two Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards, picking up the coveted best picture nomination as well as a nod for best adapted screenplay.
The recognition means a lot to Polley, the film's writer-director, who opened up to ABC Audio at the annual Oscars nominees luncheon about one of the biggest challenges she faced in her journey with the project.
"People hear the title 'Women Talking' differently than they hear a title like '12 Angry Men,'" Polley said. "For some reason, the very act of women talking sounds offensive to some people. So, I think, just getting people to watch it is the biggest challenge."
Polley also said she never expected this kind of reception for her film.
"I'm just sort of enjoying every second of this. I mean, we didn't know if we were going to end up part of this at all," Polley said of the current awards season. "It's really such a gift, the whole experience. I mean, truly."
While "Women Talking" -- which stars Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley and Frances McDormand, among others -- focuses on hardships the religious colony's women face, Polley said the story is universal and, in the end, hopeful.
"The film is ultimately for everybody. It's for, you know, people from every background, every gender," Polley said. "I think it was really exciting to realize that enough people had seen it and had responded to it to end up here today."
The 95th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 12, on ABC.
