We’ve got so much time for

the women of cannes

Women – take over the pale male- dominated film festival? Yes they Cannes!

festival inception since the film’ s 72 years ago, there’ve been whole decades where there was nary a uterus among any of the Cannes contenders – let alone in the prestigious Palme d’or category (won only once by a woman: Jane Campion).

But the era of females as a red carpet amuse bouche for the ‘real’ (male) filmmakers is dead. At this year’s festival, Kristen Stewart, Ava Duvernay, Cate Blanchett, Léa Seydoux and Khadja Nin (top, centre) have stormed the judging panel, there are more women on the selection committee and industry bidding wars are focused on projects such as ‘355’, an all-xy Bond-style action concept tabled by Jessica Chastain. Realigning the competition – which still sees just three female directors out of 21 in the running for an award – is, according to Blanchett, ‘not going to happen overnight’. But they’re working on it.

The Time’s Up reckoning has reached the Riviera, reducing in its wake the memory of Harvey Weinstein from deal-maker abusing his power from his Cannes suite, to a repugnant meme shown on iphones between the meetings he once presided over. A helpline to report sexual abuse has been set up and the festival is celebrating the 50th anniversary of 1968, a year of French civil unrest. Because the uprising is happening – and this time it’s female.