From The BEZ’ Cannes Diary:
Festival opens to controversy over lack of female-directed films
“Festival Director Thierry Fremaux responded by saying he agrees women lack opportunities to make films…”
Mon Cher M. Fremaux,
Wrong diagnosis = wrong cure. The problem is not the lack of new opportunities for female filmmakers; the problem is lack of respect for the work already done by female filmmakers. As I demonstrate in my new book Penny’s Picks, the films are there, but what’s missing are the audiences.
We can all agree on this: “Cannes could not, he said, start choosing films based strictly on the gender of the filmmaker.” But the question is this: exactly who is “Cannes” in this instance?
Presumably “Cannes” is a selection committee, so we need to know its make up. Is this committee gender-balanced? Do the number of women on this committee equal the number of men? And are the women on this committee commensurate in power influence, & accountability?
ENOUGH WITH THE PATRONIZING EXCUSES!
THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT DEMAND ANSWERS!
Au revoir,
Penny
