17-year-old Jean Seberg receives the key to the city in her hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa after beating out 18,000 aspiring actresses worldwide for the role of Joan of Arc in Otto Premingers' "Saint Joan".
Raindance Film Festival review
by Yasmeen Ismail
Jean Seberg: Actress Activist Icon
A compelling look at the personal life, career and activism of one of cinema’s greatest icons: Jean Seberg.
Born in the small city of Marshalltown, Iowa, Seberg was thrust from obscurity and into the limelight at age seventeen when she was chosen from 18,000 applicants to be the lead in Otto Preminger’s Saint Joan. What followed was instant fame, which eventually led to roles in iconic films such as Jean-Luc Godard’s French New Wave classic Breathless and the films Bonjour Tristesse, Lilith and Airport.
Through exclusive interviews with Jean’s family, including her sister Mary Ann Seberg, former husband François Moreuil, friends and film colleagues, we hear behind-the-scenes stories, such as her shocking near-death experience on the set of Saint Joan and the moment she almost quit her role in Breathless.
Through interviews with Black Panther Movement members, we also learn about the determination and altruism which inspired her off-screen civil rights activism. This led to the terrifying experience of being “neutralised” by the FBI. Under their constant surveillance, Seberg’s health deteriorated and many believe it was a contributing factor to her tragic death at age 40.
This film captures the true spirit of the Hollywood actress. A tender and sincere documentary from Emmy-nominated filmmaker Gary McGee, and Emmy award-winning filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle.
"Jean Seberg: Actress Activist Icon" is an Official Selection at the 2021 Raindance Film Festival in London. Raindance is the largest independent film festival in the U.K. and it is rated among the top 10 international festivals for independent filmmakers. "Jean Seberg" will have its international premiere at the Curzon Hoxton Cinema in London on the evening of Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 6:20 p.m. Visit https://raindance.org/ for ticket information.
Produced by Emmy-nominated and award-winning filmmaker Garry McGee (McMarr Ltd.), and Emmy-award winning filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle (Fourth Wall Films), Jean Seberg: Actress, Activist, Icon tells the true story of Hollywood and heartbreak, beginning when an unknown 17-year-old Iowa girl who beat out 18,000 actresses to play Saint Joan in Otto Preminger's 1957 film. The documentary goes behind the scenes of her rocky life in the international film spotlight, her civil rights activism that drew FBI attention, and her mysterious death in Paris in 1979. The documentary is in the distribution phase.
Visit JeanSebergMovie for updates on the documentary, glimpses behind-the-scenes, all things Jean Seberg, and upcoming news on the film's release.
For more on Jean Seberg read Garry McGee's books: Jean Seberg--Breathless, Neutralized: the FBI vs. Jean Seberg (with Jean Russell Larson) and The Films of Jean Seberg (with Michael Coates-Smith).
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