Wonder Woman of the Week: Greta Gerwig

When the filmmaking industry in the United States began in the early years of the 20th Century, women played a vital role as directors and producers in the era of silent films. When the Hollywood studios began creating "talkies" and color movies however, women slowly lost their footing in high-achieving roles in the industry. Flashing forward to the 21st Century, women are now making a comeback to their former roles as major producers and directors- including this week's Wonder Woman; Greta Gerwig.

Greta Gerwig's initial success came early in her career as an actress in mumblecore films (movies focusing on dialogue to support low budgets and create powerful performances). Over the course of her early work in mumblecore films, Gerwig slowly encroached into an added role as director, and screenwriter. Through her secondary roles, Gerwig found herself wanted to be more than an actor and went back to school to focus on improving her screenwriting.

After returning from taking time to improve her behind the scenes work as writer and director, Gerwig returned to film with several independent films like Frances Ha and 20th Century Women as a writer and actress. In 2017, Gerwig made her directorial debut with the film Lady Bird with which won a Best Motion Picture award at the Golden Globes. Gerwig continued acting as well, appearing as a voice actress in the film Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson.

Greta Gerwig's writing and directorial style is often categorized as detailing the maturation of lead female characters with a heavy emphasis on dialogue and the delicate weaving of personal stories and experiences into her work. Gerwig also appears in several cameo roles in both film and television including Saturday Night Live and Portlandia.