Hollywood has been aa minefield for gender equality. With the allegations against Harvey Weinstein triggering the biggest social media campaign for gender equality in the name of #MeToo, and then Oprah Winfrey’s powerful speech telling brutal men in power that their Time’s Up, now the epicentre of the gender equality storm seems to have shifted to the Cannes Film Festival.
It seems to be the right place where traditional impositions force women to make news with their looks, and you may be denied entry without high hills. There is so much pressure on women to fit the stereotyped bill of beauty, that it is very apt that the women should choose the same Red Carpet to protest against archaic assumptions.
82 women marched up the red carpet, stood on the stairs, locked arms, and turned to face away from the Palais des Festivals and toward the crowd.
The number 82 was significant; it’s the number of female directors whose films have premiered at Cannes in its 71-year history. By contrast, 1,688 male directors have had that same honour.
Image Credit: vanityfair
The protest was organized by a French movement called 5050×2020, which is calling for 50/50 gender equality in the French film industry by the year 2020. Among the crowd were representatives from feminist and industry pro-equality movements; actresses; filmmakers like Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins; and this year’s female jury members Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard, Ava DuVernay, Léa Seydoux, and Khadja Nin.
From India, Nandita Das, director of the film ‘Manto’, stood shoulder to shoulder with the other proud 81 women.
Following the demonstration, the group proceeded into the ‘Girls of the Sun’ premiere. It was an apt choice as the film tells the true story of a group of female anti-extremist Kurdish soldiers.
Women are fighting their battles on every front, domestic, corporate industry and the creative endevours. But films should hold the beacon of light for the society. Instead, it has turned into the most gender entrenched place, where women are expected to look pretty, and make the most of the short shelf lives. Instead, they hold huge potential to change the way we look at cinema.
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