Jayne Whyte's Portfolio

Where are the women?. This year at the Cannes festival, the women were seen on the red carpet but without their films. I am greatly disappointed that at important events such as this, films by women are not being selected.  The jury led by Italian film-maker Nanni Moretti came in for a grilling over the lack of women behind the camera this year, with none in the main competition and just two in Cannes’ new talent section “Un Certain Regard”.

British director and juror Andrea Arnold told a news conference it was “a pity and a great disappointment” that so few women went into film-making, but argued that Cannes simply “represents how it really is out there in the world”.

She said she herself would “hate” to be invited on grounds of gender.

“I would only want my film to be selected for the right reasons – not out of charity because I’m female or anything,” said Arnold, whose first two feature films – “Red Road” and “Fish Tank” – both won the Cannes jury prize.

Arnold’s fellow juror Diane Kruger also denied any sexism at Cannes: “On the contrary, my impression is that women are welcome here. It just so happens that there aren’t any this year.”

New Zealand’s Jane Campion is the only woman to have won the Palme d’Or, for “The Piano” in 1993, but last year’s festival raised hopes of a breakthrough, with an unprecedented four women in competition.

culled from the Australian.com