Vera Farmiga directs and stars in “Higher Ground” her directorial debut

Jake Gyllenhaal and Vera Farmiga at the SXSW Festival to premiere their film Source Code in Austin, Texas.

"Walking into a movie set in a born-again Christian commune, one might expect a bit of a freak show. But that isn’t what Vera Farmiga provides in “Higher Ground” her directorial debut. The film is about the struggle to find meaning and belief in life and refuses to reduce people to caricatures, no matter their beliefs. Farmiga approaches the material with a sly sense of humor and an understanding of what it means to look for your place in life. The film is never mean-spirited and is full of rich details of life on the commune that presumably come from screenwriter Carolyn S. Briggs, who developed the script with Farmiga based on her memoirs, “This Dark World.”
Vera Farmiga plays Corinne in her directing debut "Higher Ground" (2011)

Farmiga plays Corinne, who as a girl dreamed of being a writer. But she and her wannabe rock star boyfriend, Ethan (Joshua Leonard), drop their plans and get married when she gets pregnant while they’re in high school". Source: www.movingpicturesnetwork.com

Vera Farmiga arrives for the LAFF premiere of "Higher Ground" held at the Redcat Theatre on June 25, 2011 in Los Angeles, California on 24th June 2011

Emily Mortimer, Martin Scorsese and Vera Farmiga attend the Cinema Society, Gucci & the Film Foundation screening of "La Dolce Vita" at the Tribeca Grand Hotel on June 1, 2011 in New York City.

"Farmiga has a reputation for being a director-friendly actor. Speaking with Rich, Farmiga talked about choosing roles: “There’s gotta be something about a woman that turns my head.” Working with Martin Scorcese: “Marty loves to talk… yap yap yap. He’s got so much fervor and enthusiasm, but he talks until the cows come home.” Her attraction to the script of her directorial debut, “Higher Ground” which was at the festival: “I have a great admiration for those solely focused on spiritual enlightenment. My father always feels the breath of God on his face. I sought to grasp that.” Source: www.indiewire.com