Roving Woman: John Hawkes, Lena Góra and Michał Chmielewski interviews at Raindance Film Festival 2022

Roving Woman is the first feature for filmmaker Michal Chmielewski with a script co-written with Lena Gora. The film is executive produced by Wim Wenders and Orion Williams and tells the story of a woman down on her luck struggling to find her place.

Shot in the Mojave desert the film follows Sara (Gora) after she is kicked out of her home by her fiancé and seeks shelter in a car that she steals. As days go by she becomes transfixed by the objects littering the vehicle and starts to form a picture of the owner, Gregory Malloy (John Hawkes). Fascinated, she resolves to go and find him. Once she does, the narrative takes viewers on a journey of solitude, friendship and love. 

Based on the mysterious disappearance of American singer Connie Conway, Roving Woman is a tribute to her story. After packing all of her belongings in her car, she took off into the night, never to be seen again. Much speculation surrounds her decision and this feature starts a journey from the same point that Conway left her family. In many ways it’s a “what if” story about the musician but told through Sara it has its own narrative and offers an authentic portrayal of a woman abandoning all she knows and the freedom and unknown with a future of life on the road.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to the cast and creatives on the red carpet at Raindance Film Festival 2022, with filmmaker Michał Chmielewski talking about how he got involved in the project, working alongside Gora and how they filmed with hidden cameras and civilian scenes to keep the authenticity.

Writer and actress Gora spoke to us about the movie’s starting point, bringing Conway’s story to the forefront, the casting process and the narrative she wanted to share.

John Hawkes spoke about his initial reticence about taking on the role, working alongside the entire creative team and what he hopes viewers will take away from watching Roving Woman.

Ezelle Alblas

Roving Woman does not have a UK release date yet.

Raindance Film Festival is on from 26^th October until 5^th November 2022. For further information visit here.

Watch the trailer for Roving Woman here: