Scarlett Johansson has described her upcoming directorial debut Eleanor the Great as “a little gem”.

Last year, the Avengers actress fulfilled a life-long dream by directing her own feature, which stars June Squibb and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

In an interview with InStyle, Johansson described the project as a small-scale indie inspired by films like Moonstruck.

“It’s like a little gem. I was inspired by those independent films from the mid-80s to the mid-2000s. Living Out Loud. Crossing Delancey. Moonstruck,” she shared.

The actress was thrilled by the process and felt invigorated learning new filmmaking techniques after more than 30 years in the industry.

“When I would get home from work, and I would say to (husband) Colin (Jost), ‘You know, it’s so exciting to be 40 and learn a new thing. Now I know how to make a movie like this. I know how to finish it. The process of sound mixing and colouring and editing – I didn’t know that before. And now I know how to do it,'” she added.

Johansson directed from a script by Tony Kamen, marking her first time behind the camera since her 2009 short These Vagabond Shoes. She also produced the drama via her production company These Pictures.

In Eleanor the Great, Squibb plays a 90-year-old woman who moves to New York City from Florida for a fresh start after the death of her best friend. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 19-year-old student.

The film, also starring Jessica Hecht and Erin Kellyman, does not yet have a release date.

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