Helen Mirren received the lifetime achievement award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this past weekend. She used the opportunity to call for more female directors in the business.

She accepted her award and as she stood next to the president of the festival Jiri Bartoska she put him on notice by saying:

I don’t know how many female directors are presenting their films in this festival. I very much doubt that it’s 50%. Not too many, I’m sure.

She sure is right. I took a look at the 12 films in competition. There is only one I am sure of that is directed by a woman. And I only found one woman directed film in the official selection out of competition. There is nowhere near close to 50% representation of women at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

She also said: “Things have moved on, but as far as I’m concerned, they haven’t moved on enough” and said that the festival was still a man’s world.

And she put the festival on notice by saying should she returnl in five years she would expect them to have at least 50% of the films directed by women.

Go Helen!

Karlovy Vary 2012: Helen Mirren Calls for More Women Directors (Hollywood Reporter)