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In nearly 72 years of the history of the Cannes Film Festival, only one director, Jane Campion, has already won the prestigious Golden Palm for best film.
In addition, only 86 films of female directors were competing for the festival's main prize, against more than 1,650 male films.
This year, the shortlist of 21 films presents a common record of four women, showing how much the event – which is touted the defunct feminist director Agnès Varda – must display the same kind in terms of her work. gender equality.
However, dig deeper into the festival program and do not miss talented women telling their stories, those led by people from Latin America.
Last week, Melina Leon became the first Peruvian director to be invited to present a film in Cannes – and her black-and-white production, An Untitled Song (Cancione Sin Nombre), was cited by many critics as worthy of win The Golden Camera, or Golden Camera, awarded to the best feature by a new director.
The film, which premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section, takes place in the politically-agitated Peru of the 1980s and follows Georgina, a young indigenous Andean woman, whose newborn daughter is stolen from a dispensary.
Leon arrived one year after the protests prompted Cannes to sign a 50:50 gender parity, balancing its 2019 jury and selection committee accordingly. and the festival organized a series of lectures on "Women in Motion".
She welcomes conversations on the subject, even if they are difficult.
"Just the fact that we talk about it [is good], "she told the BBC. This could be uncomfortable – but anything that requires change is going to be uncomfortable and there is going to be a confrontation.
"There are so many female film students and when it comes to making the first [full-length] functionality is only guys – why?
"Unfortunately, we do not have this opportunity, I think 10% of the films are made by women, so how do you choose 50?"
"But yes, the fact that jurors are mixed, I think it's great.For many years, it was not a concern here or anywhere else."
The Peruvian writer / director, who claims "rebellious spirits", adds: "I hope that over time we will have more opportunities to make more films so we can demand 50/50 Of course, aim for quality, not just the kind but we need the opportunity to make [films] so our work can be judged!
"There is this prejudice that we are not good enough, that it 's not a job that women can do because it' s a stress to handle big budgets and if we do not have a good job. we do not have enough women on the teams, especially the photographers …
"There will be no change if not all parties come together."
During the first week of the festival, Franco-Senegalese director Mati Diop became the first black director to present a film in competition (Atlantics), and at the press conference of the inaugural film The Dead Don & # 39; t Die , actor Tilda Swinton said that the best female directors were clearly present, whether they are recognized and written or not.
Swinton said, "I would like to recall that women have been making movies for 11 decades now, there are countless movies made by women.
"The question is: Why do not we necessarily know about them?
"We have to watch the cannon, enjoy it and sift it, and we have to buy tickets for women's movies.
"Everything exists, we just have to pay attention and put everything back together."
Tilda Swinton
Sofía Quirós is one of the women who goes up. She has the "new honor" of becoming the only director to have a feature film competing in the context of Critics' Week – which runs parallel to Cannes – and the first in Costa Rica.
Her film, Ceniza Negra, is based on a short film that she brought to Cannes a few years ago. It tells the story of Selva, 13, played by the first actor Smachleen Gutiérrez, and explains how she learns life through the death of her closest family members.
empowered
The director, who studied cinema in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, and prefers to work with non-actors, says that it's "very strange" to be the only woman to win the alternative prize, pointing out that his own country has made tremendous progress in the area of equality. in the arts.
"In Costa Rica, we have a very special case, because almost all the best directors and producers are girls," she says.
"Our country is a special thing, we are in a bubble.It is such an honor to see the girls of our country so powerful and professional.But then, I go out and it's something else, you know "It's difficult."
The 29-year-old thinks the opportunities for her have come after many filmmakers in her country have focused on more commercial projects, allowing girls to "shine internationally" with more than 40 "movies". sensitive art ".
Like Leon before her though, she still sees many women "disappearing" after the stage of the short film, before having the chance to attempt a feature film.
This is confirmed by the Cannes program – 26% of the feature films presented this year were made by women. In the short films section, this figure reached 32%, compared to 44% in the category of student films.
Quiros therefore wanted to surround her female colleagues during the film's making, in order to create new opportunities.
"For me, the process was very free," she says. "I'm very comfortable with them, they were all friends and we decided to create a process freely, to work with non-actors in a creative group from the beginning, talking about the script and photography.
"I feel [I was able to do it] because this team of girls has been working with me since the early years. "
The closing ceremony in Cannes takes place on Saturday with the big announcement of the winner of the Palme d'Or. And if neither the newcomers, nor Quiros nor Leon are still in the race, look for their names and other emerging filmmakers in the near future.
The names Diop, Jessica Hausner, Celine Sciamma and Justine Triet are among the most esteemed lists, but with 17 men also in the running for the prize (including Quentin Tarantino, Ken Loach and Pedro Almodóvar), the odds remain strong against them.
Could this year be the year?
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