Whit Stillman: Damsels in Distress

The last time Whit Stillman joined Elvis in the studio, it was to talk about his 1998 feature, The Last Days of Disco. Stillman joins us after a 13 year hiatus ("I'm a failure as a producer," he explains), to talk about his long-awaited return to the director's chair with Damsels in Distress, starring indie darling Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, and Crazy, Stupid Love newcomer Analeigh Tipton. The film is about four college co-eds at the fictional Seven Oaks University who are on a mission to change contemporary social life, thus making the world a better place. Among their methods for fighting the predominating atmosphere of "male barbarism" is creating a suicide prevention center... also, tap dancing. Stillman discusses the "karmic element" of his films, why Damsels is nothing like Mean Girls, and how he plans to truly make the 'Sambola International Dance Craze' the next big thing on the dance floor.