Greta Gerwig received the 2024 Pioneer of the Year award from the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.
At the Beverly Hilton ceremony, Gerwig expressed gratitude, "I'm mostly used to going to the Beverly Hilton to lose, so this is a nice change of pace."
She praised the organisation, "The work that you do for caring for this community that I'm part of, it's just extraordinary. It makes me so proud to be part of an industry where people spend their time and money and talents to figure out how to look out for each other and to lift each other up."
Gerwig commended Will Rogers, "He was the ultimate show person. A show person is the only person I've ever wanted to be."
She highlighted the dedication of industry professionals, "Even when I'm in a meeting with someone in this business who is mostly likely to tell me that my idea is completely bananas... beneath their business front, there's a slightly unhinged person just underneath the suit."
The Barbie director emphasised, "There are easier ways to make money, and there are less terrifying businesses, but there are none that are more exciting and filled with as much joy and wonder."
Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, and collaborators like Will Ferrell and Saoirse Ronan, praised Gerwig's accomplishments.
Previous Pioneer of the Year honorees include Tom Cruise, Kathleen Kennedy, and Cecil B. DeMille.