The Asian premiere of “Flash Impact,” a short film marking the 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth, screened at the 31st Busan International Film Festival this year, following its world premiere at last year’s Venice International Film Festival, design.co.kr reported. The film was commissioned by Genesis and directed by actor-turned-director Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The roughly 17-minute film begins from the premise that Monroe lived to be 100. An elderly Monroe, played by Ellen Burstyn, visits an audition room in New York and challenges a role meant for women in their 20s, telling casting officials who hesitate because of her age about her life as an actor. Dakota Johnson plays Monroe in her younger years, with present and past crossing to reveal the life of a woman hidden behind the glamorous star’s image.
Gyllenhaal Wrote the Short in a Weekend After Genesis Commission
Gyllenhaal said the project began with a request from Genesis, a major partner of the Busan International Film Festival, to make a short film commemorating Monroe’s centennial. She said she had known Monroe only as a symbolized, fantastical image and spent about a week watching her films and reading books before an idea emerged: that Monroe would appear in the film as she would have at 100 years old.
“When Genesis commissioned a film to commemorate Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, I don’t think they expected her to appear in the film as she would have been at 100,” Gyllenhaal said at a press conference held October 7 at the Busan Cinema Center ahead of the screening. “I also thought the idea might not be accepted when I proposed it. But Genesis said they wanted to make the story together.” She wrote the script quickly over a weekend.
Gyllenhaal said Genesis participated in discussions about the film’s content but gave her complete freedom in the creative process. “I think their intention was to support one filmmaker,” she said. “When they readily agreed to make it together, I realized they really wanted to attempt something new and interesting.”
Burstyn and Johnson Chosen to Show New Sides of Themselves
Gyllenhaal said she wanted roles that would force actors to learn something new about themselves. She said Ellen Burstyn naturally came to mind for elderly Monroe, and she was deeply impressed by the precision and boldness of the actor who has worked for more than 50 years. Dakota Johnson, whom she had worked with on “The Lost Daughter,” was in mind throughout the writing process. Gyllenhaal said she initially worried Johnson did not physically resemble Monroe but concluded appearance mattered less because Monroe is remembered as a symbolized image rather than a real face.
Both actors, she said, empathized with the film’s themes and showed new performances through their roles, giving the short a playful yet radical character.
Genesis Draws Parallel Between Monroe and the Brand’s Rise
The film extends a project that began with the special exhibition “Manifesting Marilyn,” held at Genesis House New York in June, where rare archives and immersive installations examined the life behind the icon the public remembers. Genesis connected Monroe’s story to its own: just as Monroe overcame the stereotypes of her era and built her own identity and career, the Korean-born brand has pursued the bold goal of becoming a global luxury car brand over the past decade. The company framed both stories as showing that luxury is a process of creating one’s own standards and attitudes beyond material value.
Gyllenhaal Builds Sets by Listening to Everyone on Them
Drawing on her experience as both actor and director, Gyllenhaal said that on “The Lost Daughter,” her first feature, she prioritized hearing the voices of everyone on set, from actors to the cinematographer, production designer and lighting director. She said she believes a film that embraces the thoughts of the people gathered on set produces better results than one that simply implements what the director imagined alone. She said two new projects are now in development, though she does not yet know what they will ultimately be about, preferring to discover each story’s meaning as she works.
Questions Readers Ask About “Flash Impact”
The short film imagines Marilyn Monroe living to 100 and auditioning in New York for a role intended for a woman in her 20s, where she tells casting officials about her career as an actor. Ellen Burstyn and Dakota Johnson play the older and younger Monroe.
Maggie Gyllenhaal directed the Genesis-commissioned short, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last year and had its Asian premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
According to the company, Monroe’s life of overcoming stereotypes and building her own identity parallels Genesis’s decade-long journey from a Korean brand to a global luxury name.
The film’s Asian premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival closes the festival circuit that began with its Venice world premiere last year.
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