Gender is always an issue that keeps surfacing itself when we talk about films. Looks like the issue has shrouded the much-anticipated 71st Cannes Film Festival as well. The biggest celebration of cinema kick-started on Tuesday, May 8th with a jury led by Hollywood actor-producer and two times Oscar winner, Cate Blanchett.
Along with her, the jury panel includes writer-directors Denis Villeneuve, Andrey Zvyagintsev Ava DuVernay and Robert Guediguian, actors Lea Seydoux and Kristin Stewart and author, composer actor Khadja Nin. Considering that the jury is loaded with women, the word has it that they might get biased towards the three women directors competing for the battle of highest honor.
The three entries from women directors, Eva Husson for Girls of the Sun, Nadine Labaki for Capernaum and Alice Rohrwacher for Lazzro Felice (Happy as Lazzaro), would be competing for the top award – the Palme d’Or.
Despite the panel leader Cate Blanchett's words that the quality of films will get focus rather than the gender, controversy has risen that one of the three women filmmakers might get the title than the deserving filmmaker.
AS reported by Hindu, Cate Blanchett said, “Few years ago there were only two. They [women filmmakers] are not there because of their gender. They are there because of the quality of their work. We will assess them as filmmakers, as we should.”
Eighteen strong films are competing for the highest honor Palme d’Or this year and it would not be wrong to say that the decision will be a tough one for the jury.
