Movie Star

Film, Fashion and Art from around the world showcased at Jean Seberg Festival of the Arts November 4th-5th in Star’s Hometown

Actress, Activist, Icon Jean Seberg.

She was the toast of Paris and an international film star. She was part of the French New Wave and starred in the iconic film Breathless influencing film history and fashion with her short-cropped hairstyle and gamine beauty. To this day she makes the list of the most beautiful women in the world and inspires art, music and haute couture. All of these magical virtues that made Jean Seberg who she was are celebrated this year in her beloved hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa at the IVCCD Orpheum Theater Center, November 4^th-5^th at the Jean Seberg Festival of the Arts.  The annual event draws fans, artists, film and fashion buffs, Hollywood history aficionados, family and friends from across the country and around the world.

“I think the new name of our festival reflects our commitment to honoring Jean’s legacy across many disciplines,” said Nancy Adams, curator of the Jean Seberg Collection at the Orpheum Theater Center.  “Clearly, she first registered on the collective radar through her acting, but in her life she came to be known for her celebration of and influence in many other fields.”

The Jean Seberg Festival of the Arts opens November 4th with a free exhibition of student-produced films.

The Festival opens Friday, Nov. 4, at 6:30 p.m. showcasing student-produced films and an award ceremony at the Orpheum where Seberg’s first film, Saint Joan, premiered in 1957.  Jean Seberg championed first-time directors and filmmakers, often launching their film careers. Friday evening’s film screenings and award ceremony are free to the public.

Saturday, November 5^th the festival will showcase the Seberg style with a fashion show presented by Iowa State University design students at 1:30 p.m. in the Orpheum’s Blackbox Theater. Admission is $6.

Sean Garrison and Jean Seberg starred in "Moment to Moment".

Two of Seberg’s films will screen at the Orpheum on Saturday: Moment to Moment at 11:00 a.m. and Who’s Got the Black Box? at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $6/pp per show. 

A free art exhibit featuring Jean Seberg-inspired works from around the world will be on display during the festival, as well as other Seberg memorabilia from the Orpheum’s vast collection. 

Visitors are also encouraged to take the self-guided Jean Seberg Legacy Tour to places that were part of her life growing up in Marshalltown, Iowa. Copies of the Legacy map are available in the lobby of the Orpheum Theatre Center.

Iowa Governor Branstad signs a proclamation honoring Jean Seberg.

The Festival follows the recent signing of a proclamation by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declaring October 21 Jean Seberg Day. 

“So many years after her passing, one is as likely to read about her cinematic legacy as to see her referenced in a fashion magazine, or the subject of an art exhibition,” Adams said.  “I’m excited about the number of participants this year, and the fact that we are seeing and highlighting the growing awareness of ‘the next generation’ to the magic that was, and is Jean Seberg.”

For more information about the Jean Seberg Festival of the Arts contact Tammy Losing, Festival Coordinator, at Orpheum Theater Center 641-844-5921 or find information online at the www.OrpheumCenter.com.

Iowa Gov. Branstad Proclaims October 21st "Jean Seberg Day" in Her home State

Marshalltown native will also be remembered during Saturday's "Hollywood Backstories" event at the State Historical Museum

Sixty years ago today Marshalltown teenager Jean Seberg won a worldwide talent search fro the titled role in the movie Saint Joan and became an overnight star.  Today, Gov. Terry E. Branstad proclaimed Jean Seberg Day in Iowa to honor the late Iowan's remarkable life and career.

While Seberg's role in Saint Joan (1957) made her a star, her performance in French director Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960) launched her to fame as an international style icon.  With contemporaries such as Audrey Hepburn and Mia Farrow, Seberg popularized the image of the New Wave ingenue (characterized by a pixie haircut, French striped jersey shirt and black capri pants). Seberg starred in 34 feature films in Hollywood and Europe, including Lilith, Paint Your Wagon opposite Clint Eastwood, and Airport.

Iowans can learn more about Seberg's life (1938-1979) as an actress, activist and fashion icon during a free screening of the documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg as part of "Hollywood Backstories: Remembering Jean Seberg" at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at the State Historical Museum of Iowa, 600 E. Locust St. in Des Moines.

The documentary will be followed by a Q&A with one of its creators, the Emmy-nominated filmmaker Garry McGee; Seberg's sister, Mary Ann Shuey; and the curator of the Jean Seberg Collection at the Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown, Nancy Adams.  Afterward, visitors can join State Curator Leo Landis on a tour of the museum's "Hollywood in the Heartland" exhibit about Iowans and the silver screen.

Program Details

WHAT: Hollywood Backstories: Remembering Jean Seberg

WHERE: State Historical Museum, 600 E. Locust St., Des Moines

WHEN: Saturday, October 22

• 1 p.m. screening of Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg
• 2:30 p.m. Q&S led by Liz Gilman, executive producer of Produce Iowa
• 3:00 p.m. Hollywood in the Heartland exhibit tour

SUGGESTED ATTIRE: Something French--wear a beret, a striped French sailor's shirt or anything with a certain 'je ne sais quoi' and be discovered just as Jean was 60 years ago.

Hollywood Backstories is presented by Produce Iowa, the state office of media production, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.  Visit www.iowaculture.gov or call 515-281-5111 for more information.

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and its three divisions - the Iowa Arts Council, State Historical Society of Iowa, and Produce Iowa, the state office of media production - empower Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state. 

The Jean Seberg Festival of the Arts is scheduled for November 4-5 at the Orpheum Theater Center in Marhsalltown.  This year's event will feature an ISU student fashion show showcasing fashions inspired by the star. For more information, visit Marshalltown Community College's website HERE.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg is an award-winning documentary produced by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Garry McGee of McMarr, Ltd., Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films. The movie was funded in part with grants from the Iowa Arts Council, Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Jean Seberg Honored by Iowa Governor's Proclamation and Special Screening of "Movie Star" at State Historical Building

International film star and Marshalltown, Iowa’s own Jean Seberg will be honored in a proclamation signed by Iowa Governor Branstad at the State Capital on the morning of October 21, 2016.  Seberg’s family will be in attendance, as will Emmy-nominated filmmakers Garry McGee, and Kelly & Tammy Rundle.  Their award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg will be showcased at a special ‘Hollywood Backstories: Remembering Jean Seberg’ event at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines on October 22 at 1:00 p.m. The event is free to the public.  A Q&A will take place after the film and will be moderated by Produce Iowa's Liz Gilman with Jean's sister Mary Ann Shuey, filmmaker and Seberg biographer Garry McGee, and Nancy Adams, Jean Seberg/Orpheum Theater Collection Curator.  The event is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and Produce Iowa.

High School graduate Jean Seberg was plucked from obscurity by Otto Preminger to star in his film Saint Joan.

Selected from 18,000 aspiring actresses at age 17, Marshalltown, Iowa’s Jean Seberg made her acting debut in Otto Preminger’s 1957 Saint Joan and starred in Hollywood films Lilith, Paint Your Wagon, and the blockbuster Airport, among others.  She is best known for her performance in director Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking French New Wave film Breathless.  Movie Star is the first documentary film to focus on the private side of the famous actress and examines Seberg’s very public American and international film career, civil rights era activism, and her mysterious, untimely death in Paris in 1979.

The film features exclusive on-camera interviews with Seberg’s family, friends and film colleagues, and former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown; as well as never-before-seen private photographs, home movie footage and rare movie and behind-the-scenes film clips.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg is an Official Selection at the LA Femme International Film Festival in Beverly Hills, California and screens at the Laemmle Music Hall Theater on October 21 at 2pm. The film also won the Iowa Motion Picture Association’s top Award of Excellence in a Documentary, the Award of Excellence from the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards in Los Angeles, and Best Documentary at the Landlocked Film Festival and the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival.

A celebration of Jean's life and legacy takes place each year in her hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa at the Jean Seberg Festival of the Arts. This year's event will be held November 4-5, 2016 at the Orpheum Theater Center, where Jean's first film, Saint Joan, premiered in 1957. The theater is located at 220 E Main St, Marshalltown.  For more information, schedule/tickets visit Jean Seberg at the O!

The Hollywood Backstories series is presented by Produce Iowa-State Office of Media Production, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg was funded in part with grants from Humanities Iowa, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Iowa Arts Council. The Historical Society of Marshall County served as the fiscal sponsor for the documentary project.  Garry McGee is the author of “Jean Seberg: Breathless” and co-author of “Neutralized: The FBI vs Jean Seberg” and “The Films of Jean Seberg”. He received a Regional Emmy® nomination for writing the documentary The Last Wright.  Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films received a Regional Emmy® nomination for their documentaries River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6, Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT) and Country School: One Room – One Nation.

Celebrated Hollywood Celebrities and “Movie Star” Filmmakers to Attend Iowa Independent Film Festival Sept. 16-18

The Iowa Independent Film Festival will showcase the award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg  September 16-18, 2016 at Frank Lloyd Wright's Historic Park Inn, 15 W State St, Mason City, Iowa.  Emmy® nominated filmmakers Garry McGee of McMarr, Ltd., and Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will appear for Q&A following the film.  This year’s festival will draw celebrated celebrities and filmmakers from Hollywood, including director/Actor Richard Benjamin (Catch 22, The Sunshine Boys and Goodbye, Columbus) and wife actress Paula Prentiss (The Stepford Wives and Where The Boys Are), and director Randal Kleiser (Defrost, Big Top PeeWee and The Blue Lagoon), as well as acclaimed actress and Mason City's own Tanna Frederick (Defrost, Ovation, Queen of the Lot).  More film festival details can be found at www.iowaindie.org.

 

Kleiser’s virtual reality film, Defrost, which showed earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and was produced and starred in by Tanna Frederick, will open the festival.  Critically-acclaimed director/producer Henry Jaglom’s (The M Word, Queen of the Lot, Deja Vu) latest film, Ovation, which stars Frederick and is receiving strong reviews, will be featured on Saturday evening, September 17 with a special Q&A with Jaglom via Skype.

  

“We are honored that Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg is among so many great films featured at this year’s Iowa Independent Film Festival,” said co-producer/co-director Garry McGee. “We are looking forward to sharing Jean’s story with a new audience, seeing people we have long admired, and watching great independent movies.”

Selected from 18,000 aspiring actresses at age 17, Marshalltown, Iowa’s Jean Seberg made her acting debut in Otto Preminger’s 1957 Saint Joan and starred in Hollywood films Lilith, Paint Your Wagon, and the blockbuster Airport, among others.  She is best known for her performance in director Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking French New Wave film Breathless.  Movie Star is the first documentary film to focus on the private side of the famous actress and examines Seberg’s very public American and international film career, civil rights era activism, and her mysterious, untimely death in Paris in 1979.

The film features exclusive on-camera interviews with Seberg’s family, friends and film colleagues, and former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown; as well as never-before-seen private photographs, home movie footage and rare movie and behind-the-scenes film clips.

“The documentary strips away the Hollywood gossip, the national media hype, and the F.B.I. propaganda to find a young woman of conscience embroiled in the important issues of her day, while also carving out a unique and important international film career,” said producer Kelly Rundle.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg will screen Saturday, September 17 at 1:00PM in the main Ballroom at the Historic Park Inn, and again on Sunday in the Markley Room at 12:30PM.  Q&A will follow the screenings and admission is free. Visit www.iowaindie.org for more details.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg was funded in part with grants from Humanities Iowa, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Iowa Arts Council. The Historical Society of Marshall County served as the fiscal sponsor for the documentary project. The film won the Iowa Motion Picture Association’s top Award of Excellence in a Documentary, the Award of Excellence from the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards in Los Angeles, and Best Documentary at the Landlocked Film Festival and the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival.

Garry McGee is the author of “Jean Seberg: Breathless” and co-author of “Neutralized: The FBI vs Jean Seberg” and “The Films of Jean Seberg”. He received a Regional Emmy® nomination for writing the documentary The Last Wright. The Rundles received a Regional Emmy® nomination for their documentaries River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6, Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT) and Country School: One Room – One Nation.

Happy Birthday Jean Seberg

"Lilith" director Robert Rossen and Jean Seberg.

How will we celebrate Jean Seberg's 77th birthday on November 13th? In her hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa at the Orpheum Theater Center screening the award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg. 

The film will kick off a special birthday weekend which includes an expansive exhibit dedicated to the international film star, and a special concert by the popular music duo Mark and Amy Adams-Westin of Amy & Adams--including music featured in the documentary.  The special event is sponsored by the Marshalltown Convention and Visitors Bureau. The documentary screens on Friday, November 13 at 7pm and Saturday, November 14 at 1pm. 

International film star Jean Seberg.

Following both film presentations, we are honored to have special guests Mary Ann Seberg Shuey (Jean's sister), Linda Haupert (Jean's best friend), and Mark Adams-Westin (Jean's friend) join the filmmakers for Q&A.

Tickets are $8 and can be reserved by calling 641.844.5920.  The Orpheum Theater Center is located at 220 E Main St, Marshalltown, Iowa.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg is the first documentary film to focus on the private side of the famous actress and examines Seberg’s very public American and international film career, civil rights era activism, and her mysterious, untimely death in Paris.  The film was produced by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Garry McGee and Kelly & Tammy Rundle.

Advance Ticket Reservations Strongly Recommended

The special November 13-14 weekend screenings of the award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg by Emmy® nominated filmmakers Garry McGee, Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle are fast approaching at the Orpheum Theater Center in Seberg's hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa.

The film screenings, sponsored by the Marshalltown Convention and Visitors Bureau, kicks off a special weekend celebrating Seberg, and includes an expansive exhibit dedicated to the international film star, and a special concert by the popular music duo Mark and Amy Adams-Westin of Amy & Adams--including music featured in the documentary.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, which previewed at the Orpheum in 2013, has been revised and new material added to the film.  The updated version of the documentary is currently on the film festival circuit and recently won the Top Award of Excellence from the Iowa Motion Picture Association and Best Documentary at the Landlocked Film Festival.  It will likely be the last time the film shows in Marshalltown.

Advance ticket reservations are strongly recommended by calling 641.844.5920.  The Orpheum Theater is located at 220 E. Main, Marshalltown, Iowa.

Rare Opportunity to See Newly-Updated Award-winning "Jean Seberg" Documentary in Marshalltown Nov. 13-14

“Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, while rich in historical detail, evolves like a gripping suspense thriller. Seberg’s legacy as a tender-hearted and complex woman ahead of her time is now preserved on film thanks to this in-depth documentary. Bravo!”
— Sara Jordan, Marshalltown Times-Republican

A rare opportunity for audiences to see the updated version of the award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg at the Orpheum Theatre Center in Jean's hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa.  The documentary will screen on Friday, November 13 at 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 14 at 1:00 p.m. Emmy® nominated filmmakers Garry McGee, Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle will appear at both screenings and take part in Q&A following the film. The film presentation is sponsored by the Marshalltown Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Amy & Adams will take the stage in the O’s Black Box for a special concert on Saturday evening, November 14th at 7:30 pm. An expansive exhibit of Jean Seberg memorabilia will be on display throughout the weekend.

Advance ticket reservations are strongly recommended by calling 641.844.5920.  The Orpheum Theater is located at 220 E. Main, Marshalltown, Iowa.

"Movie Star" Lights up Orpheum Theater Screen November 13-14

Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Jean-Luc Godard's cinema classic Breathless.

The award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg by Emmy® nominated filmmakers Garry McGee, Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle will be showcased at the Orpheum Theater Center (The O) in Jean's hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa November 13-14. The film kicks off Jean's birthday weekend at The O, which will include an expansive exhibit dedicated to the international film star, and a concert by the popular music duo Mark and Amy Adams-Westin of Amy & Adams--including music featured in the documentary.  The film presentation is sponsored by the Marshalltown Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown, Iowa.

"A building-wide exhibit will open on Friday, November 13, featuring Seberg photos, posters, and memorabilia," said Orpheum Director Michael Oxley. "Featured prominently are materials donated to our collection by Kendall Natvig, in particular gorgeous large-format movie posters. The Seberg exhibit will be on display throughout January 2016."

Orpheum Theater Center Director Michael Oxley onstage at The O.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg is the first documentary film to focus on the private side of the famous actress and examines Seberg’s very public American and international film career, civil rights era activism, and her mysterious, untimely death in Paris.

The film won the top Award of Excellence this year from the Iowa Motion Picture Association and Best Documentary at the Landlocked Film Festival.

"Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg" filmmakers Garry McGee, Tammy Rundle and Kelly Rundle.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg will screen on Friday, November 13 at 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 14 at 1:00 p.m. The filmmakers will be on-hand at both screenings for a Q&A following the film.

Mark and Amy Adams-Westin of Amy & Adams will give a special concert at The O during Jean Seberg's birthday weekend.

"In addition to the film screening on Saturday, November 14th, viewers will have the opportunity to see the exhibit, and enjoy music by Amy & Adams, who have a long association with The O," said Oxley. "The Minnesota-based duo will offer an evening of great tunes from the 1920s through the 60s, as well as their own infectious original songs, all wrapped in lush accompaniments and stunning vocal harmonies."

Amy & Adams take the stage in the O’s Black Box at 7:30 pm.

Ticket prices:
• Movie Star: $8
• Amy & Adams: $10
• Combined Film & Concert (November 14th only): $15

Advance ticket reservations are recommended by calling 641.844.5920.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg was funded in part with grants from Humanities Iowa, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Iowa Arts Council. The Historical Society of Marshall County served as the fiscal sponsor for the documentary project.

The Rundles have received two Mid-America Emmy® nominations: one for their documentary co-produced with WQPT, Letters Home to Hero Street, and one for Country School: One Room – One Nation. They have received multiple awards for their other documentary films, including Lost Nation: The Ioway 1, 2 & 3. 

Garry McGee is the author of “Jean Seberg: Breathless” and co-author of “Neutralized: The FBI vs Jean Seberg” and “The Films of Jean Seberg”. He received a Regional Emmy® nomination for writing the documentary The Last Wright.

"Movie Star" Showcased at Landlocked Film Fest August 15

Actress Jean Seberg.

The award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg will be showcased at the Landlocked Film Festival in the Englert Theater, 221 E Washington Street, Iowa City, on Saturday, August 15 at 8:00 p.m.  The film was produced by Emmy® nominated filmmakers Garry McGee and Kelly Rundle & Tammy Rundle and is an Official Selection at the festival. (To see the trailer, click HERE.)

The Englert Theater in Iowa City will showcase Movie Star on August 15 at 8 p.m. during the Landlocked Film Festival. 

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg is the first documentary film to focus on the private side of the famous actress Jean Seberg. Movie Star examines Seberg’s very public American and international film career, civil rights era activism, and her mysterious, untimely death in Paris.

The film features exclusive on-camera interviews with Jean’s family, including her sister Mary Ann Seberg and former husband Francois Moreuil (Playtime); friends and film colleagues, including Mylene Demongeot (Bonjour Tristesse) and film producer/director Nicolas Gessner (Diamonds are Brittle); scholars, including film historian Dr. Rich Ness, civil rights scholars Dr. Horace Porter, Dr. Jane Simonsen and former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown; as well as never-before-seen private photographs, home movie footage and rare movie and behind-the-scenes film clips.

The Rundles received a Regional Emmy® nomination for their documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation, and multiple awards for their documentaries Letters Home to Hero Street (a co-production with WQPT-PBS), Lost Nation: The Ioway 1, 2 & 3 and Villisca: Living with a Mystery.  They are currently in production on the documentary The Barn Raisers (to be released in 2016), and the docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder (to be released in February 2016). Their new documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 will premiere in September 2015.

Garry McGee is the author of “Jean Seberg: Breathless” and co-author of “Neutralized: The FBI vs Jean Seberg” and “The Films of Jean Seberg”. He received a Regional Emmy® nomination for writing the documentary The Last Wright.

The documentary will be released nationally on DVD, with broadcasts on Midwestern PBS stations following in 2016. For more information about Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, visit www.JeanSebergMovie.com.

Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg was funded in part with grants from Humanities Iowa, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Iowa Arts Council. The Historical Society of Marshall County served as the fiscal sponsor for the documentary project. Any views, findings, recommendations or conclusions expressed in the film and program do not necessarily represent those of these organizations.

   

Seberg's "Lilith" Showcased at NY City Film Archives July 17 & 18

A new article appeared in New York's Village Voice shining a light on the film and Jean Seberg's 'haunting' performance.

"Rarely screened, Robert Rossen's fascinatingly fractured Lilith (1964) centers on a theme — women, sex, and psychopathology — somewhat in vogue at the time. Two months before Lilith's release, Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie, starring Tippi Hedren as a "frigid" habitual swindler eventually cured by Sean Connery, arrived in theaters; three years earlier, Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass featured Natalie Wood being sent to an asylum, her crack-up the result of her unconsummated lust for Warren Beatty, making his feature debut.  

"Seberg — haunting and fey, eons removed from the pixieish sphinx she played in Godard's Breathless...indelibly imprints the film with otherworldliness." (Read more...)

Lilith will be screened at the NY City Film Anthology Archive, 32 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003, on Friday, July 17 at 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m.  To find out more, click HERE.

To learn more about the new award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg by Garry McGee and Kelly & Tammy Rundle, visit www.JeanSebergMovie.com!