While we’ve been covering all of the fashion at Cannes, there seems to be a more unsavory undercurrent on the scene: in the 64 years of the festival, just one woman has claimed the most esteemed Palme d’Or award, and this year’s total lack of female directors in the awards’ lineup has sparked international backlash among feminists. Whether Cannes has provided warranted grounds for contention is still up in the air. A petition hosted on Change.org entitled “Cannes Film Festival: Where Are The Women Directors?” has garnered over 2,000 signees, with feminist icon Gloria Steinem, “The Vagina Monologues” playwright Eve Ensler, and award-winning Australian director Gillian Armstrong among them. However, last year’s nominations for the top prize featured four movies by women, while last month’s Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan had a heavy female presence, with many of the event’s 90 films both focusing on female protagonists and directed by women. At the time, Daryl Wein, the director of “Lola Versus” starring Greta Gerwig, said, “It’s a moment happening now for women in film.” Keep reading »
