Festivals, Films, Women Directors

Women-Directed Films Account For Less Than 5 Percent of Venice’s Competition Lineup

“Angels Wear White”: 22 Hours Films

“Venice is recognized as the oldest film festival in the world, but the 73rd iteration of the fest demonstrates that they are lagging behind when it comes to gender equality in their programming,” we wrote last year. Sadly nothing has changed since. Despite increasing awareness of the film industry’s woman problem, Venice’s slate remains overwhelmingly male. The fest has announced the first batch of films for its 2017 lineup, and of 21 movies screening in Competition, only one is helmed by a woman, amounting to just under five percent of the fest’s most prominent program. This is actually worse than last year, when ten percent of the Competition was women-directed.

The sole film helmed by a woman that will be competing for the Golden Lion (Best Film) and eligible for the Silver Lion (Best Director) is Vivian Qu’s “Angels Wear White,” a story about two schoolgirls who are assaulted by a man in a hotel, and the teen girl working at reception who witnesses the crime.

Women fare considerably better in Venice’s Horizons Competition, where five of 19 films are female-helmed, which amounts to 26 percent of the slate. This portion of the fest is known for highlighting cutting-edge works. Among the films screening in this section are Anne Fontaine’s Isabelle Huppert-starrer “Marvin” and Nancy Buirski’s “The Rape of Recy Taylor,” a documentary about a 24-year-old black woman who was gang-raped by seven white men in Alabama in 1944.

“20th Century Women” star Annette Bening will serve as President of the fest’s jury this year. The four-time Oscar nominee will be the fest’s first female prez since French actress Catherine Deneuve held the role in 2006 — over 10 years ago.

The Venice Film Festival takes place August 30 to September 9. Check out all of the women-directed films announced so far below. List adapted from The Hollywood Reporter.

COMPETITION: 1/21 films directed or co-directed by women

Angels Wear White, Vivian Qu

OUT OF COMPETITION FEATURES: 2/14 films directed or co-directed by women

Il Signor Rotpeter, Antonietta de Lillo

Zama, Lucrecia Martel

OUT OF COMPETITION DOCUMENTARIES: 0/8 films directed or co-directed by women

SPECIAL EVENTS 0/3 films directed or co-directed by women

HORIZONS COMPETITION: 5/ 19 films directed or co-directed by women

The Rape of Recy Taylor, Nancy Buirski

Caniba, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel

Les Bienheureux, Sofia Djama

Marvin, Anne Fontaine

Nico, 1988, Susanna Nicchiarelli

La Vita in Comune, Edoardo Winspeare

CINEMA NEL GIARDINO: 2/6 films directed or co-directed by women

Controfigura, Ra di Martino

Woodshock, Kate Mulleavy, Laura Mulleavy

VENICE CLASSICS DOCUMENTARY COMPETITON: 2/7 films directed or co-directed by women

La Lucida Follia di Marco Ferreri, Selma Jean Dell’Olio

The Prince and the Dybbuk, Elwira Niewiera

SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGS: 1/3 films films directed or co-directed by women

Lievito Madre, Le Ragazze del Secolo Scorso, Concita de Gregorio, Esmeralda Calabria


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