Gillian Robespierre

{{Infobox person

| name = Gillian Robespierre

| image = Gillian Robespierre (14484925448).jpg

| alt = Gillian Robespierre

| caption = Robespierre in 2014

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|06|29}}

| birth_place = New York, New York, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names =

| known_for = Obvious Child

| occupation = Filmmaker, writer, director, producer, actress

| education = School of Visual Arts (BA)

| children = 1{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-jenny-slate-interview-0728-20170727-column.html | title=Jenny Slate and Gillian Robespierre: From 'Obvious Child' to not-so-obvious family dynamics | website=Chicago Tribune | date=27 July 2017 }}

}}

Gillian Robespierre (born June 29, 1978){{cite web|title=Gillian M Robespierre|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K2T8-VCB|publisher=FamilySearch}} is an American director and writer, known for writing and directing the films Obvious Child and Landline.

Early life

File:Gillian Robespierre (12025833555) (cropped).jpgRobespierre was born to a Jewish family and raised in New York City.{{cite web |last1=Stosuy |first1=Brandon |title=Gillian Robespierre on getting a movie made |url=https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/gillian-robespierre-on-getting-a-movie-made/}} In 2005 she graduated from the School of Visual Arts, where she majored in Film and Video.{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/meet-the-2014-sundance-filmmakers-38-gillian-robespierre|title=Meet the 2014 Sundance Filmmakers #38: Gillian Robespierre Delivers Raw Honesty and Humor in 'Obvious Child'|publisher=IndieWire|date=January 16, 2014}}Grimaldi, James (Fall 2014). "What's in Store". Visual Arts Journal. p. 13

Career

Robespierre began her career working as a production assistant on big budget features like American Gangster.{{cite web|last1=ARELLANO|first1=JENNIFER|title=INSIDE DIRECTOR GILLIAN ROBESPIERRE'S ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT WARDROBE|date=5 November 2014 |url=http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a14874/gillian-robespierre-obvious-child-interview/|access-date=28 April 2015}} She also worked for the Directors Guild of America until 2014.

In 2009, Robespierre co-wrote (with Anna Bean and Karen Maine) and directed the short film Obvious Child, about a young woman who is impregnated after a one-night stand and decides to have an abortion. Robespierre approached Jenny Slate to star in the lead role after seeing her perform at a comedy club.{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Kjerstin|title=New short film is cute, quirky, and candid. And it's about abortion.|url=http://bitchmagazine.org/post/obvious-child|access-date=28 April 2015}} Robespierre later expanded the short into her 2014 feature film debut Obvious Child with Slate once again playing the lead role. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by A24 Films.

In early 2015, Robespierre announced she was developing a comedy pilot for FX with Elisabeth Holm, who co-wrote Obvious Child, starring Jenny Slate and Ari Graynor.{{cite web|last1=Stanhope|first1=Kate|title=It's Official: Jenny Slate to Star in FX Comedy Pilot From 'Obvious Child' Team|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=27 April 2015 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jenny-slate-fx-comedy-pilot-791672|access-date=27 April 2015}} Robespierre's second film, Landline, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2017, followed by a theatrical release on July 21, 2017. The film stars Jenny Slate, Abby Quinn, Edie Falco, John Turturro, and Jay Duplass.

It was announced in January 2021 that Robespierre would direct an adaptation of Melissa Broder's novel The Pisces, about a woman and her "erotic infatuation with a merman". The film will star Claire Foy.{{cite web|last1=Davis|first1=Edward|title=Claire Foy Teams With Director Gillian Robespierre For Erotic Merman Infatuation Tale, 'The Pisces'|date=28 January 2021 |url=https://theplaylist.net/claire-foy-gillian-robespierre-the-pisces-20210128/|access-date=29 January 2021}}