Venice jury head Maggie Gyllenhaal questions lack of women directors

AFP | Venice

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The head of this year’s Venice Film Festival jury Maggie Gyllenhaal questioned Wednesday why only two women directors had been selected for the main competition at the Italian event this year.

“There’s a systemic problem,” the American actress-turned director told reporters at a press conference on the opening day of the festival, sitting next to festival director Alberto Barbera.

“I do think it’s much harder for women to get their films financed. Also, could it be possible that the things that women, having had a different experience of being alive in the world, want to make movies about are not always deemed high art. Who decides what’s high art? Who decides what’s valuable?

“That’s also a question I have, and it’s a legitimate one,” she added.

“Woman Unknown” by Danish-Egyptian director May El-Toukhy was the only woman-directed film in the initial 20-strong field of films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion in Venice’s top competition.

The late addition of “NAZA” about Israel’s targeting of civilians in Gaza improved the gender balance slightly — it is co-directed by a woman, Oscar-winning Israeli filmmaker Rachel Szor. Barbera said this year’s selection had been made “without prejudice”.

At a press conference to announce the selection in July, he said that the quality of submissions from women directors “was not enough to put them into the competition” — which led to a critical open letter from campaign and industry groups in Italy.