Venice Film Festival Jury President Maggie Gyllenhaal Cites Systemic Issues Regarding Female Directors
3 sources across 3 countries · Brazil · Spain · United Kingdom
Who reported this
- UOL
- El Pais
- The Guardian
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Every outlet covering this story shares the same political lean; read with that in mind.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, the president of the Venice Film Festival jury, stated on Wednesday that a systemic problem exists in the film industry that harms female directors. Speaking at a press conference for the 83rd edition of the festival, Gyllenhaal questioned why only two films directed by women were selected for the competition for the Golden Lion. She noted that it is more difficult for women to secure financing for their films and questioned whether the themes women choose to explore are not always viewed as high art.
The two films directed by women in the official competition are Woman Unknown, directed by May el-Toukhy, and Naza, directed by Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham. Gyllenhaal suggested that because women have had different experiences in the world, their approach to filmmaking may differ from that of men, and that it will take time for the industry to adjust to this difference.
During the press conference, Gyllenhaal also addressed the role of cinema in a world she described as being in a state of emergency. She argued that cinema is fundamentally political because it provides an opportunity to find empathy for others, including those who are corrupt or perverse. Festival director Alberto Barbera stated that there are no vetos against directors or countries and that no specific themes are rejected during the selection process.
Gyllenhaal leads a seven member jury that includes Kaouther Ben Hania, Shahrbanoo Sadat, Johnnie To, Xavier Giannoli, Daniel Blumberg, and Francesco Casetti. The festival will run until September 12, when the winner of the Golden Lion will be announced.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Outlets with a center-left lean framed the event as a critique of systemic sexism and a defense of the political necessity of cinema.
Sources
- Centre-left El Pais: Maggie Gyllenhaal, president of the Venice festival jury: “There is a systemic problem” that harms female directors
- Centre-left The Guardian: Maggie Gyllenhaal says film industry has a ‘systemic problem’ with sexism
- Centre-left UOL: President of the Venice Festival jury questions low presence of female directors
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.