Julia Leigh had the kind of experience with her first film that cinema students dream of. The Sydney-based author had written two novels, The Hunter and Disquiet, before penning the screenplay for Sleeping Beauty. She directed the film herself, casting Emily Browning, Rachael Blake and Ewen Leslie in the tale of a university student's part-time job sleeping alongside men she was not involved with sexually.

The film was selected for the In Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, which Leigh attended with her then husband, whom she refers to as Paul in her new book, Avalanche, although that's not his real name.