GENESIS-SUPPORTED FILM 'FLESH IMPACT' TO PREMIERE IN ASIA AT BUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Discover More About 'Flesh Impact'

‘Flesh Impact,’ supported by Genesis to commemorate 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth to be screened at 2026 Busan International Film Festival

Directed by actress and filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, 17-minute short film ‘Flesh Impact’ premiered at 2026 Venice International Film Festival and will play a second time at Busan International Film Festival

About Flesh Impact

「 2026 」 DIRECTED BY MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, STARRING DAKOTA JOHNSON AND ELLEN BURSTYN.

“Flesh Impact” is a short film from director Maggie Gyllenhaal, featuring Dakota Johnson, Ellen Burstyn, Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi.

The title comes from a remark once made to Marilyn Monroe, saying that she had “flesh impact,” referring to her extraordinary magnetism — the combination of beauty, sensuality and star quality that made Monroe impossible to ignore.

Gyllenhaal’s film imagines an alternate future for Monroe where she lives to the age of 100. Played by Ellen Burstyn, she arrives at a modest New York casting session to audition for a role intended for a woman in her twenties. When her age is questioned, she asks, “Why not?” — then tells the story of her rise to stardom to make the case that talent, experience and the ability to inhabit a role should matter more than her age.

The casting panel slowly realizes who she is. Her account is intercut with scenes of Marilyn in her younger years, played by Dakota Johnson, revealing the distance between the enduring public fantasy of Marilyn and a woman who has lived long enough to understand its consequences.

As the older Marilyn recounts her early career, the attention her looks attracted and the men who surrounded her, the film examines what fame demanded of her. It also asks whether the conditions that shaped her experience have truly disappeared. In an industry still preoccupied with actresses’ bodies, desirability, choices and public images, Marilyn’s story feels less like a relic of Hollywood’s past than a challenge to its present.

The imagined audition gives Marilyn an opportunity history denied her: to speak for herself. Though age has transformed her physical appearance, it has not diminished her power as a performer. Her humor, presence and charisma make clear that her value cannot be contained by the image that made her famous. “Flesh Impact” ultimately invites audiences to see Marilyn Monroe not simply as an icon of beauty or desire, but as a perceptive, resilient and formidable artist.

Genesis & Marilyn Monroe

On the occasion of Marilyn Monroe’s centennial, Genesis honors her pioneering spirit, connecting it with the brand’s vision and presenting a new definition of luxury.

Genesis has built its brand value through a distinctive philosophy, much like Marilyn Monroe, who left a lasting mark through her singular perspective. The two share a parallel journey of forging distinctive identities that continue to resonate across generations.

Just as Monroe dreamed fiercely, shattered convention and forged a new path that remains etched in memory a century later, Genesis has spent the last decade relentlessly innovating and pushing forward in pursuit of its bold ambition to become a globally recognized luxury automotive brand from Korea. As a result, Genesis has emerged as a global brand setting a new standard for luxury.

Following the “Manifesting Marilyn” exhibition at Genesis House New York in June, Genesis continues to express its brand values through production support for the film “Flesh Impact,” which shines a light on the lesser-known facets of Monroe’s legacy.

People, Characters and Works Referenced

The following people, characters and works are referenced by Monroe in “Flesh Impact,” offering a glimpse into the artists, figures and cultural world that shaped her life and legacy.

• Clark Gable: William Clark Gable was an American actor often referred to as the “King of Hollywood”.

• Arthur Miller: Arthur Miller was an American playwright and essayist in the 20th-century American theater. He was married to Marilyn Monroe from 1956–1961.

• A Streetcar Named Desire: “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1947) is a play written by Tennessee Williams.

• Blanche DuBois: Blanche DuBois is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams’ 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

• Vivien Leigh: Vivien Leigh was a British actress who starred as Blanche DuBois in the film adaptation of “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951).

• Marlon Brando: Marlon Brando was an American actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential performers in the history of cinema.

• Jane Russell: Jane Russell was an American actress, model, and singer who was considered one of Hollywood’s leading icons in the 1940s and 1950s.

• Darryl F. Zanuck: Darryl F. Zanuck was an American film producer and studio executive.

• Lee Strasberg: Lee Strasberg was an American acting coach and actor.

• Norman Mailer: Norman Mailer was an American writer, journalist, and filmmaker.

• Orpheus Descending: “Orpheus Descending” (1957) is a three-act play by Tennessee Williams.

• Carol Cutrere: Carol Cutrere is a character in Tennessee Williams’ “Orpheus Descending.”

• Tennessee Williams: Tennessee Williams was an American playwright and screenwriter.

• Cypress Hills: Cypress Hills Cemetery is located in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.

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