Festival is looking for female directors: in Cannes, the promise of parity difficult to keep

Like an air of deja vu: with five female directors - out of 21 films - in competition, the Cannes Film Festival is struggling to keep its promise of parity.

In question?

An industry that is still too masculine, defend the organizers.

To discover

• Discover the “Best of the Goncourt Prize” collection

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However, like last year - which saw the Frenchwoman Julia Ducournau win the supreme award and become the second palmed director in history -, this 75th edition is not devoid of directors, especially in the parallel sections.

They are five filmmakers in competition (against four last year) and allow the Festival to reach its record: the actress and director Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, 57, will present

, about the eponymous theater school founded by Patrice Chereau.

Also in the running for the Palme d'Or, Claire Denis, 76, with

, filmed in Central America.

Another Frenchwoman is in the running for the supreme distinction: Léonor Serraille, born in 1986, for her second film

, telling the story of a family from immigration, from the end of the 1980s to the present day.

Read alsoLéonor Serraille, the woman who wanted to be invisible

A great figure in independent cinema, the American Kelly Reichardt, 58, will present

, on the daily life of an artist embodied by Michelle Williams.

It will also be necessary to count with the Belgian Charlotte Vandermeersch, 38 years old, for

, co-directed with Félix Van Groeningen.

As for the other major festivals, the question of parity is not obvious either.

In September, the Venice Film Festival selected, in competition, five films by female directors.

On 21 movies.

Only the Berlinale did better: for its edition in February 2022, seven films out of the 18 in competition were the work of female directors.

As in Cannes, two women - the French Audrey Diwan and the Spaniard Carla Simon - won the prestigious prizes of these festivals.

The parallel sections

The Cannes Film Festival is not just about its Official Selection.

Thus, in Critics' Week, which highlights young directors, of the eleven feature films selected, five are directed by women, including

by Céline Devaux, with comedian Blanche Gardin.

Same tone on the side of the Directors' Fortnight where eleven directors are selected, for a total of 23 films.

Created by the Society of Film Directors in 1969, this section aims to discover the films of young authors and to salute the works of recognized directors.

It will begin this year with the presentation of the traditional Carrosse d'Or to Kelly Reichardt.

Among the films selected, the long-awaited

, the first film by author Annie Ernaux, made with her son David, or even Mia Hansen-Løve's film

with Melvil Poupaud and Léa Seydoux.

Read alsoSeydoux, Efira, Exarchopoulos, Kiberlain and Annie Ernaux at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes

Sides

If the official selection remains the weak link, on the side of the jury, parity is more respected with four women out of nine members.

Three times, women outnumbered men (2009, 2014 and 2018).

Moreover, if the president of the jury is a man, Vincent Lindon, the names of actresses like Penélope Cruz had circulated until the last moment.

Added to this is the appointment of jurist Iris Knobloch, who will succeed Pierre Lescure in July, to preside over the Festival.

She will be the only woman at the head of a major festival.

As for the parallel sections, Ava Cahen took the lead this year in Critics' Week.

Finally, the Festival gives pride of place to several films and documentaries mixing subjects related to women such as feminicides, access to abortion.

response (Un certain regard) by Marie Perennès and Simon Depardon or

by Ali Abbasi.