With ‘Barbie’, the American filmmaker has singlehandedly proven that an audience favorite can also be a thoughtful art film, one which can conquer both blockbuster status as well as a critical acclaim and finally, awards nominations.
It’s a powerful move by the Festival de Cannes to name Greta Gerwig as the Competition Jury President for their next edition. So it’s no wonder they couldn’t wait to announce it, despite the festival taking over the Croisette more than five months from now. This year’s edition will take place from May 14-25 2024.
““I love films - I love making them, I love going to them, I love talking about them.””
Gerwig will be the first American female director to take on the role of Jury President at the French festival. At barely 40 years old, she adds another record to her considerable list of awards — that of becoming the youngest person to take on the task since Sofia Loren (who was 31 years old in 1966 when she was tapped for the role) as well as being only the second female director since Jane Campion in 2014. Gerwig is also the second American woman ever, after Olivia de Havilland’s stint as President in 1965.
About her upcoming jury duty, Gerwig said: “I love films - I love making them, I love going to them, I love talking about them. As a cinephile, Cannes has always been the pinnacle of what the universal language of movies can be. Being in the place of vulnerability, in a dark theatre filled with strangers, watching a brand-new film is my favorite place to be. I am stunned and thrilled and humbled to be serving as the president of the Cannes Film Festival Jury. I cannot wait to see what journeys are in store for all of us!”
Her career started less than fifteen years ago. She was born in Sacramento, California, but now lives in NYC and dreamed of being a playwright, one who crafted her own path, with both consistency and a taste for risk. She has more than achieved that.
Gerwig started out as an actress and subsequently transformed into a screenwriter working on a variety of projects. She co-wrote Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) and Nights and Weekends (2008) which she also co-directed, then Frances Ha (2012), Mistress America (2015) and of course Barbie with Noah Baumbach, her accomplice in art and life. The two have been together since 2011.
Her very first solo work, Lady Bird (2017) is what the Cannes press release describes as “a striking, tender and melancholic portrait of the torments of adolescence” and the film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Director.
Gerwig then ambitiously took hold of the American literature classic from 1868 by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, for her second film. She again tackled the story with the intention of taking a fresh look at all of the female protagonists, so as to better examine their emancipation in a world dominated by men.
Barbie, released in July of 2023, right as the SAG-AFTRA strikes were beginning, is her most recent work. It has turned into a blockbuster beyond blockbusters and has singlehandedly proven that women filmmakers can make successful films, which break records and conquer hearts. As the Cannes press release perfectly states “In this fierce satire about the human condition, Greta Gerwig nails everyday sexism, and stereotypes, with joyful intent. An international cultural phenomenon, Barbie is the biggest success of the year and has made Greta Gerwig the most bankable female film director in history.”
“This is an obvious choice, since Greta Gerwig so audaciously embodies the renewal of world cinema, for which Cannes is each year both the forerunner and the sounding board”, said Iris Knobloch, Festival President, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate. “Beyond the 7th Art, she is also the representative of an era that is breaking down barriers and mixing genres, and thereby elevating the values of intelligence and humanism.”