Greta Gerwig to Receive the Will Rogers’ Pioneer of the Year Award

Greta Gerwig has been selected to receive this year’s Pioneer of the Year Award. This accolade places her among an exclusive group, being only the second female director and the third actor after Tom Cruise and Bob Hope to be honored.

The award ceremony will take place at the annual Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s dinner on September 25 at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

Gerwig’s career as a filmmaker has been marked by critical acclaim. The three films she has written and directed solo — Barbie, Lady Bird, and Little Women — have all received Oscar nominations for best picture. Additionally, Gerwig earned nominations in the categories of best director and best original screenplay for Lady Bird, and best adapted screenplay for both Little Women and Barbie.

Last year’s Barbie, co-written with Noah Baumbach for Warner Bros., achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first film directed solely by a woman to gross over $1 billion globally.

The Pioneer of the Year award has a tradition spanning more than 75 years and honors individuals in the motion picture industry for their exceptional leadership, community service, and philanthropic efforts.

The proceeds from the September dinner will benefit the Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund. This charity provides financial aid and supportive counseling to individuals in the motion picture distribution and exhibition community during critical times of need.

“Greta Gerwig is a dynamic filmmaker with extraordinary vision who entertains and inspires audiences everywhere,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. domestic distribution president and co-chairman of this year’s Pioneer dinner. Kyle Davies, Bleecker Street distribution president and Pioneers Assistance Fund chairman, shared similar sentiments.

Gerwig’s early acting credits include indie classics such as Hannah Takes The Stairs, which she co-wrote, and Nights and Weekends, which she co-directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Her breakout role came in Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg, followed by Frances Ha, also directed by Baumbach. The two are now married. Recently, Gerwig starred in Baumbach’s White Noise and will next be seen in his upcoming film alongside George Clooney and Adam Sandler.

Additionally, Gerwig is currently working on a new project, writing an adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series for Netflix.

Past recipients of the Pioneer of the Year Award include notable figures such as Erik Lomis, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, Donna Langley, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Elizabeth Banks, Jim Gianopulos, and many others.