Maggie Gyllenhaal says directors who silence others are 'very scared' at Busan

Maggie Gyllenhaal told a press conference at the Busan International Film Festival that directors who try to squash other people's voices are "very scared" or "just not very smart", Variety reported on 7 October 2026.

The best directors she worked with as an actress, she said, understood the value of drawing on the minds of the people around them. She described the opposite behaviour as fear.

She was speaking in Busan with Flesh Impact, a short film she wrote and directed. The festival, now in its 31st edition, is scheduled for 6 to 15 October 2026 and has listed a Special Talk titled Maggie Gyllenhaal on Marilyn Monroe.

Flesh Impact imagines Marilyn Monroe at two ages. Ellen Burstyn plays Monroe at age 100, while Dakota Johnson plays Monroe in her youth, Variety reported.

The short also features Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi. It was commissioned by Genesis to mark what would have been Monroe's 100th birthday in June.

She wrote it fast. Gyllenhaal said she finished the script within a weekend after Genesis approved the pitch.

Flesh Impact world premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, meaning it screened outside the main awards race. Gyllenhaal had been in Venice shortly before Busan, where she served as a jury president.

Her move behind the camera began eight years ago with The Lost Daughter, she said. That film was her feature directing debut.

What makes this stand out is the actor's view of directing. Gyllenhaal spoke not about control from the chair, but about listening on set and letting cast and crew shape the work.