“Venice is recognized as the oldest film festival in the world, but the 73rd iteration of the fest demonstrates that they are lagging behind when it comes to gender equality in their programming,” we wrote last year. Sadly nothing has changed since. Despite increasing awareness of the film industry’s woman problem, Venice’s slate remains overwhelmingly male. The fest has announced the first batch of films for its 2017 lineup, and of 21 movies screening in Competition, only one is helmed by a woman, amounting to just under five percent of the fest’s most prominent program. This is actually worse than last year, when ten percent of the Competition was women-directed.
The sole film helmed by a woman that will be competing for the Golden Lion (Best Film) and eligible for the Silver Lion (Best Director) is Vivian Qu’s “Angels Wear White,” a story about two schoolgirls who are assaulted by a man in a hotel, and the teen girl working at reception who witnesses the crime.
Women fare considerably better in Venice’s Horizons Competition, where five of 19 films are female-helmed, which amounts to 26 percent of the slate. This portion of the fest is known for highlighting cutting-edge works. Among the films screening in this section are Anne Fontaine’s Isabelle Huppert-starrer “Marvin” and Nancy Buirski’s “The Rape of Recy Taylor,” a documentary about a 24-year-old black woman who was gang-raped by seven white men in Alabama in 1944.
“20th Century Women” star Annette Bening will serve as President of the fest’s jury this year. The four-time Oscar nominee will be the fest’s first female prez since French actress Catherine Deneuve held the role in 2006 — over 10 years ago.
The Venice Film Festival takes place August 30 to September 9. Check out all of the women-directed films announced so far below. List adapted from The Hollywood Reporter.
COMPETITION: 1/21 films directed or co-directed by women
Angels Wear White, Vivian Qu
OUT OF COMPETITION FEATURES: 2/14 films directed or co-directed by women
Il Signor Rotpeter, Antonietta de Lillo
Zama, Lucrecia Martel
OUT OF COMPETITION DOCUMENTARIES: 0/8 films directed or co-directed by women
SPECIAL EVENTS 0/3 films directed or co-directed by women
HORIZONS COMPETITION: 5/ 19 films directed or co-directed by women
The Rape of Recy Taylor, Nancy Buirski
Caniba, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel
Les Bienheureux, Sofia Djama
Marvin, Anne Fontaine
Nico, 1988, Susanna Nicchiarelli
La Vita in Comune, Edoardo Winspeare
CINEMA NEL GIARDINO: 2/6 films directed or co-directed by women
Controfigura, Ra di Martino
Woodshock, Kate Mulleavy, Laura Mulleavy
VENICE CLASSICS DOCUMENTARY COMPETITON: 2/7 films directed or co-directed by women
La Lucida Follia di Marco Ferreri, Selma Jean Dell’Olio
The Prince and the Dybbuk, Elwira Niewiera
SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGS: 1/3 films films directed or co-directed by women
Lievito Madre, Le Ragazze del Secolo Scorso, Concita de Gregorio, Esmeralda Calabria
