Here are the films directed by women from the 2011 Cannes Directors Fortnight. Out of a total of 21 films, seven are directed by women. That’s 33%. Not too shabby.
(Descriptions from IndieWIRE)
The films:
“Code Blue,” Urszula Antoniak, Netherlands, Denmark — 1h21 (2011)
Marian, a middle aged nurse, devotes herself to her patients like a saint. Sometimes she even takes on the role of a redeemer, by helping the gravely ill to the soothing order of ultimate silence. When she gets linked to a neighbor in an act of common voyeurism, she becomes fascinated by him. Faced with the fragility of these newfound emotions, Marian surrenders to her human needs…
“Corpo celeste,” Alice Rohrwacher, Italy, Swiss, France — 1h40 (2011)
13 year old Marta who is struggling to resettle to the south of Italy after ten years growing up in Switzerland. Bright-eyed and restless, she observes the sights, sounds and smells of the city but feels very much an outsider. Marta is about to undergo the rite of confirmation and she takes catechism but confronts the morality of the local Catholic community. From experiencing her period to making a bold decision to cut her hair, Marta begins to shape her own life for the first time since moving back to Italy.
“En Ville,” Bertrand Schefer and Valérie Mréjen, France — 1h15 (2011)
Iris is 16 and finishing up her teenage years a small provincial town when she meets Jean, a 40 year old photographer from Paris. Over the course of their meetings, their relationship evolves to an amorous friendship that will turn their lives upside down.
“La Fée,” Fiona Gordon, Dominique Abel and Bruno Romy, France, Belgium — 1h33 (2011)
Dom works the night shift in a small hotel near the industrial sea port of Le Havre. One night, a woman arrives with no luggage and no shoes. Her name is Fiona. She tells Dom she is a fairy and grants him three wishes. Fiona makes two wishes come true then mysteriously disappears. Dom, who by then has fallen in love with Fiona, searches for her everywhere…
Return,” Liza Johnson, U.S.A. — (2011)
Linda Cardellini plays a soldier who returns home from a tour of duty and has trouble adjusting in artist-turned-director Liza Johnson’s debut feature Return. (description from Deadline)
“Sur la planche,” Leïla Kilani, Morocco, France, Germany — 1h50 (2011)
The “board” of the title is multifold: springboard, diving board or pirate plank. This is the story of an imperiled “brotherhood,” the story of a foursome. The story of four girls on the run, made of love, choices, shattered destinies.They are the protagonists of a film noir under the conflicting auspices of the dream of globalization.
“The Other Side Of Sleep,” Rebecca Daly, Netherlands, Hungary, Irland — 1h31 (2011)
A sleepwalker since childhood, Arlene works in the local factory of the small Irish rural town she grew up in. When a young woman is found dead in the woods, Arlene immediately channels her own mother’s disappearance, twenty years ago. Increasingly drawn to the girl’s family — her accused boyfriend and grieving sister, Arlene barricades herself in at night, depriving herself of sleep. Deep in emotional turmoil, her sleeping and waking realities soon blur, as the community searches to find the killer.
There are also two women directors who will be screened as special screenings
“El Velador,” Natalia Almada, U.S.A., Mexico, France — 1h12 (2011)
From dusk to dawn “El Velador” accompanies Martin, the guardian angel who, night after night, watches over the extravagant mausoleums of Mexico’s most notorious Drug Lords. In the labyrinth of the narco-cemetery, this film about violence without violence reminds us how, in the turmoil of Mexico’s bloodiest conflict since the Revolution, ordinary life persists and quietly defies the dead.
“La Nuit elles dansent,” Isabelle Lavigne and Stéphane Thibault, Canada — 1h21 (2011)
At Night, They Dance is one family’s story. The film takes us into the heart of a clan of women, in which the art of belly dancing has been passed down from mother to daughter since time immemorial. Filmed in Cairo, At Night, They Dance takes an unsentimental yet lyrical look at a hidden world full of surprise and fascination. The viewer is allowed in as a privileged witness. A gritty film in which raw beauty triumphs over the harshest realities.
