Saoirse Ronan keen to direct feature after premiering short film

Saoirse Ronan is keen to direct a feature film after premiering her short Paper Plane earlier this month.

The Irish actress debuted her 15-minute drama at the Venice Film Festival on 3 September and is gearing up to screen it at the London Film Festival next month.

Reflecting on the project in an interview with bfi.org.uk, the Atonement star shared that she has wanted to direct for many years, and hopes to make a feature next.

"I've wanted to direct for a really, really long time; even from before I started to act, I seemed to be really drawn towards directing," she said. "It was just a case of when, and it felt like things were starting to change in my life, and work needed to reflect that."

Looking ahead at her next directorial effort, the 32-year-old added, "I have ideas. I'll let this have its life and then see what I want to do. But yeah, I would like to do a feature."

The film, starring Martha Malone, Clare Dunne and Tim Creed, tells the story of a rebellious girl who stages a silent protest and an exchange of paper planes that forces her mother to decide.

Ronan also explained why she felt compelled to make Paper Plane after harbouring an ambition to write and direct for decades.

"There's elements of it that are rooted in truth and experiences - in a more imaginative way - that I had as a child," she shared. "It was something that I wrote, and I think more than anything it needed to be a love letter to my mother and to a younger version of myself, which at its heart is what it is."

The Lady Bird actress is currently promoting her dark comedy Bad Apples, which will open in U.K. cinemas on 18 September.