New Kristen Stewart 'The Runaways' Still + Video

New Photos From The Runaways

Capitalizing on the fervor around the movies "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and "Runaways," a fundraiser was recently held at Good Units below the Hudson Hotel in Midtown West.

"Runaways," which stars "Twilight" starlet Kristen Stewart, was directed by Floria Sigismondi.

"It's about these girls that were kind of on the forefront of... you know, there wasn't an all-girls band. They were the first. They were doing challenging things and I was really kind of drawn to that," says Sigismondi. "And also, just a coming-of-age story of really young girls in the '70s, and kind of getting caught in the rock and roll world."

Sigismondi, who directed a few of David Bowie's music videos, is also a photographer.

"I always shoot on set all of the time so these are just a collection of things, of photos that I shot on the set -- Kristen [Stewart] and Dakota [Fanning] and Michael Shannon and Riley Keough and just snippets of the film," she said.

She mounted a show which is a behind-the-cameras look at the runway. All the photographs are to be sold to benefit StandUp For Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless youth.

George Whipple: Why did you decide to give back to runaways and street kids?

Sigismondi: Well, I think they need help, you know? And in my story and in "The Runaways," there's a cautionary tale and an inspirational tale. A lot of kids are lost and don't have parental guidance or don't have that support, so hopefully this will help a little bit.

Mick Rock, an accomplished rock photographer, was impressed.

"The director is a very talented lady who did some very cool videos as well," said Rock. "They look like rock and roll photos. There's not an attempt to be anything other than recording. So I think she's done a good job with herself."

"Runaways" was a big hit at the Sundance Film Festival, and now it hopes to be a big hit on the big screen. The fundraiser attendees appreciated seeing a 35mm print of the film that evening.

Source