Karine Jean-Pierre Moves Into Film Producing With Wine-Country Thriller "Terroir"
Karine Jean-Pierre, who was White House press secretary under President Joe Biden, is starting a new career in film. Her first producing project is Terroir, a thriller set in the world of wine-growing, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which reported the move on 29 October 2026.
The film comes from independent filmmaker Jesse Harris, who also made Borrego, the 2022 film that starred Lucy Hale. Terroir follows secrets hidden in a renowned vineyard. A worker and a wine critic uncover them slowly, one clue at a time. Harris compares the tone to The Menu and Get Out, two films that mix a polished setting with a growing sense of unease.
The two met through Sidney Chun, a longtime collaborator of Harris. Jean-Pierre has told trade press that she sees independent film as a workable next step after government service.
Money is still being lined up. The filmmakers are targeting a budget in the range of $3 million to $5 million, a figure that puts the project in the low-budget tier where a film often depends on tight schedules and carefully chosen locations. They hope to shoot in March in Chile, which is when the grape harvest begins in the southern hemisphere. A shoot timed to the harvest would give the story its real-world backdrop.
Jean-Pierre has been working in entertainment for some time. Variety reported earlier this year that she would host the AAFCA Awards, the honours handed out by the African American Film Critics Association. In 2023, Deadline reported that she had received Outfest's inaugural Achievement Award for Press and Media, given at the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ film festival.
What comes next for Terroir is a matter of financing and casting, and no release date has been announced. For now, the project's clearest milestone is that March shoot, which the filmmakers hope to reach.
