So here I am again in Cannes. It’s my fourth year. And this is the first year since the reckoning, and this festival was a place where Harvey preyed against multiple women. For someone who does the work I do, Cannes is a very frustrating place. But because it is so important in the industry, and folks across the world gather here and the images ricochet across the globe, it is an important place to be when you are talking about the lack of representation of women in film. It is a place where filmmakers are revered and lionized. There is nothing quite like it. The only thing I’ve seen that can remotely compare is the Oscars, but that is one night, and we see images out of Cannes for 10-plus days. Ten days of people ascending the red carpet in gowns. Ten days of press conferences with directors and casts.
Cannes is now getting into full gear. The festival has opened. The opening film has been bought. Yesterday, the jury had their press conference and in it jury president Cate Blanchett commented about the lack of women in competition and said she hopes for more. She emphasized that the women-directed films screening were not chosen for their gender, but for their work. The Oscar winner also talked about how Cannes is a big stage and you don’t want anyone to be here who is not ready. We never, ever talk about men not being ready for the big stage. That conversation is reserved for women. No one wants to fail, but if women are continuously are held up to an unrealistic standard, things will never change. So let’s just lose the coded sexist language of women not being ready, or of their films not being of the right “quality.”
Cannes has an abysmal track record regarding women in the Main Competition. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. The festival has created a hotline that people can call if they experience harassment and report it. The problem is that the calls go to festival personnel first, and only then is information about how to reach victims’ services given. Why are festival personnel involved at all?
“By calling this number, victims can share their experience with Festival teams, who will listen, offer support and, if desired, provide guidance and assistance for any important next steps (going to the police station or the hospital). The caller can also be put in touch with a victim support charity,” Cannes explains.
I know they mean well, but having festival teams answer calls about sexual harassment is not the right move. The calls should go directly to people who are trained in handling sexual harassment and assault. A person shouldn’t be forced to make a second phone call to respond to an incident.
The good news is that there are many more events focused on gender at Cannes this year, and people are finally starting to take these issues seriously. This is clearly a work in progress.
