“The Lost Daughter” director Maggie Gyllenhaal met with the press at the 83rd Venice Film Festival.
The director openly addressed the subject of gender inequality in the festival. She cited the lack of women-directed films in the awards lineup.
Maggie Gyllenhaal says Venice Film Festival’s lack of women directors points to a ‘systemic problem’
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gyllenhaal stated that the lack of women-directed films in the festival is part of a “systemic problem” in the industry. She cited the fact that the world’s oldest cinema showcase has only two titles by women in the lineup.
Gyllenhaal, the competition’s jury president this year, said that women find it much harder to get finance for their films. She added, “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?”
She openly questioned the authorities about the gender representation gap. “I really am walking in with a question as to why there are so few women in the main competition,” she said.
The gender imbalance in this year’s festival is stark. There are only two women-directed titles in the whole set up. This includes May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown” and Gaza-based documentary NAZA, co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. This is a serious step down from previous year’s representation with 6 women-directed films.
Gyllenhaal, however, also acknowledged the authority’s decision to include her in the jury mix. She said, “Alberto and Julia asking me to be the head of the main jury competition — after the two films in particular that I have made — is a very important thing to consider, too.” The jury also includes filmmakers from around the world with acclaimed titles under their belts.
Together the jury will decide main competition prizes for the festival.
Gyllenhaal’s 2021 feature debut “The Lost Daughter” premiered on the Lido. She went on to receive the festival’s best screenplay award and later three Oscar nominations.
