CultureCritic interviews Miranda July...

Artist, writer and filmmaker; Miranda July is a true renaissance woman. Her debut feature film Me And You And Everyone We Know met with huge critical acclaim on its release in 2005, winning the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Since then she's been busying herself with various artistic projects including a book of short stories No One Belongs Here More Than You, in 2007. This week sees the release of her second film The Future staring July herself as one half of a couple preparing to adopt a dying cat. We spoke to her about what she's been doing, her new film and her plans for the future...

Can you introduce us to The Future?

The Future is about a couple in their mid-thirties who are about to adopt a dying cat in a month and they plan to do everything they ever wanted to do before this impending responsibility comes into their lives. Hilarity ensues.

In the six years since Me And You And Everyone We Know, you've busied yourself with various other projects. Did it feel like the right time to do another feature film?

Yeah. I mean, it wasn't so much a come back as I'm sort of rotating the things I do, so I knew after my movie that I wanted to do this book of short stories, and then I did some sculptural work, and then I began making this performance which evolved into the movie. So I wasn't even thinking "this is my second movie, this is what I'm doing to come back with" - it was just an organic process.

Where did the impetus behind The Future come from?

When I was making my first film I was going through a kind of dark time and a breakup and I remember thinking that with my next movie I wanted to contain some of that darkness. That seemed like a great challenge to me.

There's a recurring scene in the movie where Sophie, your character, attempts to film herself doing an interpretive dance, but finds herself dissatisfied each time. Is this artistic dissatisfaction something you can relate to?

I can of course; I took all those insecurities and put them into Sophie. But it's my job to get out of that place, by having faith in the unknown and coincidences and a general sort of curiosity about the world, so it's not like it's an enduring problem, it's more just part of a job.

I think I relate more to her tendency to get paralysed or stuck but it's not an autobiographical movie. I relate to feeling distracted by the internet though.

Does film allow you a different artistic outlet than other media?

It's a different way of showing emotion. But really, whatever I'm concerned with at the time is what the project will be about, whether it's a movie or a book or a performance. Right now I'm writing a novel so most of the ideas I have are for the novel.

How difficult is it to be an independent filmmaker these days?

Very difficult. It's almost impossible to get a movie made without a movie star. The only way I was able to get financing, and I got very little of it, was to have all European financing which was really complicated. All the money was from Germany and we had to have a German crew which I flew out and flew back and I had to spend a certain amount of money in Germany, so it was really complicated getting the money.

None of that would have happened if my last movie hadn't done well in Europe. It meant during a time when most people just weren't making movies period I was able get together just enough to do it.

How involved were you with the soundtrack for The Future?

I'm always sitting next to my composer. It's very collaborative. Every day I'm there all day. I'm not a musician but I did record two performance albums and I worked very closely with the musicians on those.

Who do you see as your contemporaries?

Well, you know, just other people whose movies I like. Andrea Arnold's one and, of course, my husband Mike Mills.

Do you have any exhibition plans for London?

Not right now. I've had long-term plans for doing something in London for an incredibly long time. So, maybe this time around I'll do it before the next movie.

What's the future for Miranda July?

I'm writing a novel now.  But I have a book that's also coming out right now called It Chooses You - Canongate are putting it out here in the UK.

The Future is out Friday 4th November, read the latest reviews here.