She may have gone behind the camera for the first time in 21-year career, but Natalie Portman still looks exquisite in front of it.

The Hollywood actress opted for classical elegance as she took to the red carpet in Jerusalem to unveil her new film A Tale Of Love And Darkness, for which she played a starring role and a director.

Natalie, 34, was honoured to meet former Israeli President Shimon Peres at Thursday night's event as cast members gathered for the photocall.

Scroll down for video

Classic: Natalie Portman channelled a vintage Hollywood look on Thursday night as she unveiled her new film A Tale Of Love And Darkness in Jerusalem

Natalie kept things simple in a little black dress; the word 'Love' emblazoned across her chest in a simple, silver necklace.

The Black Swan actress wore glitter beneath her eyes to brighten them and pinned her tresses on one side for a classic, feminine look.

She looked truly in awe of former President Shimon as she and cast mates Gilad Kahana and Amir Tessler posed together on the night.

An honour: She was joined by former Israeli President Shimon Peres on the night

Touched; She looked genuinely honoured to be in his company at the photocall

Natalie, who stars as Fania Oz in the film, has been working on getting the project made for over seven years.

The actress even went to the extent of learning Hebrew for the role, having previously set out to hire an Israeli actress in the part.

A Tale Of Love And Darkness is a drama based on the memoir of Amos Oz, a writer, journalist, and advocate of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

She had to overcome plenty of obstacles to get the film made, telling The Independent recently: 'Amos is an extremely kind, warm human being and so he didn’t make me feel like I was on trial. I really had to show him my passion and commitment to the material and all he asked was that I don’t make any sort of simplified explanations'

Directorial debut: Natalie and the president shared a conversation as she unveiled her first directorial project

All smiles: The brunette couldn't contain her excitement on the night

A special moment: The film has been almost seven years in the making for Natalie

Having learned Hebrew at school and grown up in Jerusalem, the actress easily stepped into the role, but says she's at the right age to make her transition into a directorial role.

'I started this when I was 27,' she continued. 'And all of a sudden I was like 31 and starting to get to the age where I could pull this off, maturity wise, so I decided to do it.

The film received mixed review when it was shown at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May but that hasn't deterred the actress.

'I think you're inevitably going to be subject to criticism. One of the biggest parts of being an artist is having a thick skin.'

Stars of the show: Natalie, who also acts in the film, stars alongside Gilad Kahana (L) and Amir Tessler (C)