The head of the Cannes Film Festival defended Monday making one other male-dominated choice in a yr when the film “Thelma and Louise” options on the official poster.
Only 5 of the 22 movies vying for the celebrated Palme d’Or prime prize are directed by ladies, in contrast with seven out of twenty-two final yr.
Feminist collective 50/50 has accused organizers of “feminism washing” through the use of icons of feminine empowerment Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon enjoying “Thelma and Louise” within the 1991 movie for publicity functions.
“There is absolutely no point at which we’re choosing Geena Davis or Susan Sarandon or Ridley Scott’s film for the poster in order to supposedly give ourselves a feminist image,” Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux advised reporters on Monday.
The 50/50 collective, which advocates for equality within the movie trade, signed a constitution with the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
“At no point does this charter mention parity in selection. Under no circumstances should there be a quota policy,” Fremaux added, whereas insisting that the juries and the Cannes governing physique have been gender equal.
“If we are hesitating between two films… and that hesitation is between a film by a male director and a film by a female director, we will choose the film by the female director,” he added.
This yr ladies administrators account for 34 p.c of all administrators of characteristic movies picked for the official programme in Cannes, organizers say.
The proportion rises to 38 p.c when quick movies are included.
“Today we’re seeing more and more women directors in upcoming cinema, so they are gradually making their way into the competition,” defined Fremaux, who has been working Cannes for greater than 20 years. “The figures present that issues are shifting ahead, that it is sluggish, that it is not sufficient.
“We need a more feminine cinema so that, as in literature and in music, the issue of seeing the world from a female perspective, a woman’s sensibility, is more present in the world of film,” he stated.
France’s influential newspaper Le Monde examined Cannes’ report on selling ladies administrators with an article on Monday headlined: “Women on the poster, but still on the sidelines.”
Only three ladies have received the highest Palme d’Or prize for finest movie within the 79-year historical past of Cannes, most just lately French director Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall” in 2023.
The competition begins Tuesday and ends on May 23.
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