Gender inequality of Cannes Film Festival

A protest calling for gender equality took place on the red carpet last Saturday at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. A group of 82 women in the film industry, including head of the jury Cate Blanchett, director Agnes Varda, actress Lea Seydoux, Kristen Stewart and Marion Cotillard, took part in the protest.

“Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of the industry is says otherwise,” Blanchett said. “We stand together on these stairs today as a symbol of our determination and commitment to change and progress.”

The number 82 means the number of films directed by women and selected to feature in Cannes since the film festival started in 1946. During the past 71 years, 1,688 movies directed by male directors have been invited to the film festival. The proportion of male to female directors is 20 to 1.

Only one woman in the 71-year history of the Cannes Film Festival has been awarded the Palme d’Or. Watching the 82 women walk up the stairs in show of protest, I could not help but think about the movie “Piano” directed by Jane Campion in 1993. Women are not a minority in the world. But women in the movie industry are. The situation is the same in the Korean movie industry. I root for all women in the movie industry.


Won-Joo Lee takeoff@donga.com