The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has selected Greta Gerwig to receive the 2024 Pioneer of the Year Award. This prestigious award recognizes leaders in the entertainment industry for their dedication to philanthropy and community service.
Gerwig will be celebrated at the foundation’s annual fundraising dinner at the Beverly Hilton on September 25. She joins a distinguished group of past recipients, including Erik Lomis, Tom Cruise, Donna Langley, Kathleen Kennedy, Jack Warner, and Cecil B. DeMille.
“Greta Gerwig is a visionary filmmaker who captivates and inspires audiences worldwide,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Distribution and co-chairman of the Pioneer of the Year dinner. Kyle Davies, president of Distribution at Bleecker Street Media and chairman of the Pioneers Assistance Fund Committee, added, “We are thrilled to honor Greta’s remarkable achievements with the 2024 Pioneer of the Year Award.”
Gerwig made a significant impact on popular culture with her third directorial feature, “Barbie,” which became the highest-grossing film of 2023 and garnered eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
Her previous works, “Lady Bird” (2017) and “Little Women” (2019), also received critical acclaim and Best Picture nominations. Gerwig earned nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for “Lady Bird” and a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for “Little Women.”
Before her directing career, Gerwig was known in the independent film scene as an actor and screenwriter. She debuted with “Hannah Takes the Stairs” in 2007 and co-directed “Nights and Weekends” in 2008 with Joe Swanberg.
Gerwig’s breakthrough role was in Noah Baumbach’s “Greenberg,” which led to a long-term professional and personal partnership. Together, they co-wrote and she starred in “Frances Ha” (2013). They also collaborated on “Barbie” and “Mistress America.”
The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation honors its namesake actor's legacy, which began in the 1920s with his efforts to support actors and entertainment industry workers facing health and financial hardships. After his passing in 1935, a hospital originally created for Vaudevillians with tuberculosis was renamed in his honor, eventually becoming the Will Rogers Institute, dedicated to training doctors in tuberculosis treatment.
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