Gregory & Veronique: From Paris to Hollywood is an intimate look at Gregory Peck’s legendary life and career, exploring his challenges and triumphs, and the impact that he and his wife Veronique made on Hollywood, told through personal archives: letters, home movies, and stories from those who knew them best.
SYNOPSIS
Gregory & Veronique: From Paris to Hollywood is a film about a Hollywood marriage, seen through the eyes of a daughter. Filmmaker Cecilia Peck interviews friends and colleagues of her parents, and pores through a trove of home movies, love letters, photographs, and impassioned correspondence as she seeks to understand her father’s legacy and what her mother Veronique’s support meant to him. The film takes us from Gregory and Veronique’s origins and the challenges they faced and overcame, through their travels, film locations, friendships, and the gatherings they hosted. The film delves into what it meant for Gregory to champion films such as Gentleman’s Agreement and To Kill A Mockingbird, and become a leading voice for inclusion and decency in Hollywood. In depth interviews from friends Laura Dern, Candice Bergen, Barbra Streisand, George Clooney and many more who were inspired by Gregory and Veronique, make this a film that will entertain us, drive us to find the best in ourselves, and remind us of the power of love.
Director Statement
In 2000 we produced “A Conversation With Gregory Peck,” a film about my father looking back at his career. This time I wanted to feature more of his personal story, and the intersection between his life and what he was able to achieve.
Both of my parents had challenging childhoods. My dad was a child of divorce and the Depression years, shunted between relatives in San Diego and St. Louis. My mother Veronique grew up in WWII occupied Paris. Did their difficult, lonely beginnings draw them together? As their daughter, I grew surrounded by stardom. Their best friends were Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Sidney Poitier, Frank Sinatra. How did they get there?
As I interviewed their friends and pored through their correspondence, the narrative that emerged transcended Hollywood and spoke to how two people together can be stronger than one. My father passionately defended stories of decency and social justice, and my journalist mother’s notes on drafts of his letters revealed a partner who championed him every step of the way.
From behind the scenes, Veronique was the bedrock of his support, helping him to become a voice for inclusion and decency in an industry that could be at odds with those values. This film is my love letter to them and a reminder of what they stood for—values that are more important now than ever. It’s for anyone who believes in the power of love, and the strength it takes to fight for what is right.
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Director/Producer Cecilia Peck
Filmmaker Cecilia Peck directed, executive produced, and was co-show runner of the Emmy nominated Netflix documentary series “Escaping Twin Flames." She directed, EP’d and co-show ran the four part docuseries “SEDUCED: Inside the NXIVM Cult” for STARZ. She also directed and produced the Emmy nominated Netflix feature documentary “Brave Miss World” and the Academy Award shortlisted documentary “Shut Up & Sing.” Recipient of a DART fellowship for Ethics in Documentary from the Columbia School of Journalism, she is a member of the Documentary Branch of AMPAS and serves on the board of the San Diego International Film Festival. BA Princeton University.
Producer Irena Medavoy
Producer Irena Medavoy was born and raised in Los Angeles, the child of Ukrainian Russian parents who survived German concentration camps in WWII. Irena began her career modeling with Sports Illustrated and acting on shows like Dallas, and Night Court. A self-made pioneer of Television Home Shopping, in 1991 she founded Phoenix Enterprises with Pirie jones. Irena is actively involved with charities supporting children’s healthcare and children aging out of the foster care system, with both A Sense of Home and C.O.A.C.H for KIDS at Cedars Sinai. She was the recipient of the Woman of the Year award from the Women’s Image Network as well as the Danny Kaye Humanitarian award from UNICEF. Irena is married to film producer Mike Medavoy, they share one son Nick.
Producer Linda Saffire’s film "Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan" (NY Times Critics’ Pick) premiered at the New York Film Festival and was listed in Netflix’s “top movies to stream.” Credits include: "A Conversation with Gregory Peck," a collaboration with Barbara Kopple & Cecilia Peck, "Wild Man Blues" (Broadcast Critics’ Association Best Documentary 1998,) "My Generation," a documentary feature examining the Woodstock legacy, and "Smash His Camera," a collaboration with Adam Schlesinger and Leon Gast about famed paparazzo Ron Galella. Also "Reopening Night," an HBO documentary about the reopening of the Public theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park after the pandemic shutdown. Currently producing an HBO documentary following journalist Ronan Farrow, highlighting threats faced by activists and journalists.
Film Editor Michael Fallavollita started out in the motion picture industry as an assistant film editor for Steven Spielberg. Some of his early credits include JURASSIC PARK, SCHINDLER'S LIST, CASPER and HOOK. Michael was given his first feature editing opportunity by Oscar Winner Michael Lantieri on the film, KOMODO. Next, Michael edited for Back to the Future writer / producer Bob Gale on his original film INTERSTATE 60. Over the next several years, Michael has edited for Christopher Nolan, Alfonso Cuaron, Frank Darabont, Roko Belic, Kevin Smith, Guillermo del Toro, and Zach Snyder on various documentaries, television shows and motion pictures. In addition to Michael's editing career, he wrote and directed the short film TALE OF THE KITE which has won 25 Film Festival Awards including BEST IN SHOW, BEST DIRECTOR and BEST EDITOR.
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