Ellen Burstyn to make directorial debut

Los Angeles: Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn is set to make her directorial debut in "Bathing Flo" and will also star in it.

Set in New York, "Bathing Flo" is inspired by events in the actual life of Thruline Entertainment manager/producer Danny Sherman, reportedly. "A long time ago in the `70s, when AFI initiated a directing workshop for women, I was in the first one," she said. "I made a nice little film and thought I should direct, but I was so busy acting, and every time I`d bring it up, it was something that was always sort of discouraged for women. It`s easier now, and when they sent me this `Bathing Flo` script to act in, I began picturing scenes I just loved. And they loved the way I pictured it, and I just thought, `Why am I not directing this?`," she said. When asked whether she is nervous about the first time gig, the teacher at Actors Studio said, "I`ve taught actors for 40 years, and I became a still photographer and had showings of my work at galleries, and between working with actors the way I have and the still camera and making movies, it isn`t really all that daunting to me. I`m really turned on by the whole experience."