The 69th Annual Venice International Film Festival announced the lineup for the 27th International Film Critics Week (SIC), the festival’s independent section. In this year’s selection of films, women directors are prominently featured, comprising 4 of the 8 films (the ninth film, Water, is a collective) in competition.

SIC general director, Francesco di Pace commented on inclusion of women giving a bit of a dig to his colleagues at the Cannes Film Festival noting:

We can reassure those who believe that cinema and festivals need female quotas: the strong presence of women presenting their first feature film at this year’s festival highlights the existence of a courage and expressive urgency that overcomes any cultural obstacles or political and economic censors. In the films that comprise this year’s SIC selection, four out of the eight directors (the ninth film is a collective) are women. This is not the result of an opportunistic decision: despite the major changes that cinema is undergoing, it remains a universal language that knows no limits relating to gender.

Here is a list of the women directed films competing:

Kiss of the Damned — Xan Cassavetes (USA)

Eat Sleep Die — Gabriela Pichler (Sweden)

She Doesn’t Want To Sleep Alone — Natalia Beristain (Mexico)

Lotus — Liu Shu (People’s Republic of China)

An Extremely Femnine Critic’s Week (Cineuropa)

Venice International Film Critics Week Announces 2012 Lineup; New Cassavetes Film to Close (Indiewire)