Greta Gerwig, President of the Jury for the 77th Cannes Film Festival
Greta Gerwig is the President of the Jury of the Cannes Film Festival
“As a cinephile, Cannes has always been the pinnacle of what the universal language of films can represent for me.
Putting oneself in a state of vulnerability, taking a seat inside a dark room filled with strangers to watch a new film, is what I prefer.
I am moved, enthusiastic, and humbled to become the President of the Cannes Film Festival Jury.
I look forward to discovering what journeys await us!”
Greta Gerwig is the second female director (after Jane Campion in 2014), the second American (after Olivia de Haviland in 1965) to hold this position.
She is the first American female filmmaker to occupy this prestigious role.
As a screenwriter, actress, and director, Greta Gerwig embodies the kind of friend everyone wishes they had. She’s witty, vivacious, humorous, self-assured, and remarkably intelligent.
Her film “Barbie,” snubbed by all awards, grossed $1 billion, a milestone for a female in Hollywood.
Why? Because she believed in herself, no matter what.
I first discovered her in Ivan Reitman’s “No Strings Attached,” alongside Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, and in Woody Allen’s “To Rome with Love.”
Later, in Noah Baumbach’s “Greenberg,” she starred alongside Ben Stiller. She earnt arning praise from The New York Times as potentially “the best actress of her generation.”
Sex Friends – Trailer
Then came the brilliant “Frances Ha,” also directed by Baumbach (who she’s now romantically involved with).
The story? Frances, 27, teaches dance to children while aspiring to join a dance company. When her best friend, Sophie, decides to move out, Frances enters a period of doubt and turmoil, struggling to keep a stable living situation due to financial constraints. She then attempts a roommate situation with two affable guys she meets at a party.
The idea for the film sprang from conversations between Gerwig, her co-writer and lead actress, and director Noah Baumbach.
They jointly crafted the screenplay over email, exchanging ideas and fleshing out Frances’s character and storyline.
Gerwig wanted to explore the theme of friendship’s end, as it’s often overlooked in song and cinema.
Nomination : Golden Globes 2014 : best actress in a musical or a comedy for Greta Gerwig
Born on August 4, 1983, in Sacramento, California, Gerwig initially pursued English literature and philosophy at Barnard College, Columbia University, with aspirations of becoming a playwright.
She wrote plays and founded an improv group with her peers. However, in 2006, she transitioned to film, starting with the mumblecore indie film scene, honing her skills as an actress and swiftly adding screenwriting to her repertoire.
Greta Gerwig possesses the natural charisma of great actresses. Then she ventured into directing, achieving successive successes.
Lady Bird, her directorial debut, established her as a significant figure.
The story?
Christine, aka Lady Bird, dreams of studying in New York but is stuck in Sacramento for her final year of high school. The rebellious teen, constantly at odds with her mother and coping with family struggles, finds solace in laughter with a classmate.
Set between 2002 and 2003 in Sacramento, the film chronicles a middle-class teenager’s coming-of-age and her fraught relationship with her mother.
The ensemble cast includes Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Lois Smith.
Gerwig received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Director, respectively, that same year.
In 2019, Greta Gerwig adapted “Little Women.”
This novel draws from Louisa May Alcott’s personal experiences with her three sisters. Additionally, the character of Jo appears to be inspired by the author herself, suggesting it’s a fictionalized autobiography.
Set during the Civil War in Massachusetts, Marmee March and her four daughters, Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg, strive to make ends meet while their father is away at the front.
Jo discovers a passion for writing and pens plays that her sisters perform, alongside her budding romance with their neighbor Laurie.
When given the opportunity to pursue writing professionally, Jo moves to New York, where she meets Professor Bhaer.
Featuring an incredible cast including Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Louis Garrel, and especially her favorite actress Saoirse Ronan.
Available on Netflix and Prime Video.
BARBIE!
Then came the global phenomenon “Barbie,” co-written with Noah Baumbach, starring Margot Robbie as Barbie.
Alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey, and Michael Cera.
It became the summer and year’s biggest hit, a blockbuster beloved by audiences, a triumph for its young director, challenging industry norms on profitability.
Yet, it was another blockbuster, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” that swept the Oscars, leaving Gerwig unrecognized. Was Nolan’s honorary Cesar a consolation for not presiding over the Cannes Jury?
Not a single nomination for Greta Gerwig. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” (was the honorary César a consolation prize for not presiding over the Cannes Film Festival Jury?), a war film about men, a film about the H-bomb.
The Oscars chose to celebrate masculinity instead.
Gerwig also appeared in Mike Mills’ excellent “20th Century Women” (2016)
Available on MyCAnal, alongside Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Lucas Jade Zumann, and Billy Crudup, drawing from Mills’ own upbringing.
The story?
Santa Barbara, summer 1979.
The era is marked by dissent and significant cultural changes. Dorothea Fields, in her fifties, raises her son Jamie alone. She decides to enlist the help of two young women so that her now teenage son can gain exposure to different perspectives on the world. Abbie, a rebellious punk artist who lives with Dorothea, and her neighbor Julie, 17 years old, equally clever and rebellious.
Mike Mills drew inspiration from his own mother to write this film.
Finally, we saw her in “White Noise” by Noah Baumbach, in which Greta Gerwig stars alongside Adam Driver.
Available on Netflix.
University professor Jack Gladney and his family’s comfortable suburban life are disrupted when a nearby chemical leak triggers an airborne toxic event, releasing a harmful black cloud over the area, forcing the Gladney family to evacuate.
FOR MORE ABOUT GRETA GERWIG
Greta Gerwig & Mahershala Ali | Actors on Actors – Full Conversation
The New Yorker Festival
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach on their new feature film and falling in love.
