Maggie Gyllenhaal will arrive at the Venice Film Festival this September wearing two hats: jury president and filmmaker. Alongside presiding over the festival’s Golden Lion jury, Gyllenhaal will premiere “Flesh Impact,” a 17-minute short film imagining two versions of Marilyn Monroe, played by Dakota Johnson and Ellen Burstyn, timed to what would have been the icon’s 100th birthday this year.
Johnson portrays Monroe near the peak of her fame, while Burstyn embodies an invented older incarnation of the star, who died in 1962 at age 36. Gyllenhaal, who wrote and directed the film, said her research into Monroe’s career left her preoccupied with an unanswerable question: what work the actress might have produced had she lived decades longer. Peter Sarsgaard and “The Pitt” actor Sepideh Moafi round out the cast. The title borrows a phrase once applied to Monroe’s screen presence, describing a luminosity so vivid that audiences felt they could reach through the frame and touch her.
The project moved forward with cooperation from Authentic Brands Group, which holds rights to Monroe’s estate, and is presented by the automaker Genesis. “I’ve always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe,” Gyllenhaal said in a statement, adding that the film reworks the star’s familiar image “through a modern lens that reclaims her story.” Genesis marketing chief Amy Marentic said the company backed the short as part of a broader effort to support work that engages with cultural figures whose influence has outlasted their lifetimes.
Gyllenhaal assembled a production team with deep genre credentials, including “Elvis” production designer Karen Murphy, “Bugonia” costume designer Jennifer Johnson and “Hamnet” editor Affonso Gonçalves, along with cinematographer Lawrence Sher, known for “The Bride!”
The short’s premiere will double as a tribute to Burstyn, who turns 93 this year and will receive Venice’s Golden Lion for lifetime achievement during the festival. She also stars in Kornél Mundruczó’s “Place to Be,” screening out of competition. Venice’s 83rd edition runs September 2 through 12, following a 2025 edition marked by controversy that led organizers to select Gyllenhaal, director of “The Lost Daughter,” as this year’s jury president.
