Jane Campion Talks About The 'Inherent Sexism' In Film Industry During Press Conference

by uInterviewMay 14, 2014, 12:00 am >

This year’s President of the In Competition Jury, which determines the winner of Cannes’ highest honor, the Palme d’Or, Jane Campion spoke about the presence of sexism in the film industry during the jury press conference on Wednesday, May 14.

Jane Campion On "Inherent Sexism" In Film Industry

Campion secured a place in Cannes Film Festival history when she became the first woman to win the Palme d’Or in 1993 for her film, Piano. It is true, however, that she tied for the honor, sharing the title with Chinese director Kaige Chen. Over twenty years later, Campion remains the only woman ever to receive a Palme d’Or, and it goes without saying that no woman has ever been the sole recipient of the award.

Taking her legacy into account, it comes as no surprise that one of the first questions asked at Wednesday’s press conference was about sexism in film and whether it is still present and how it affects how she watches the films at Cannes.

“I think you would have to say that there is some inherent sexism in the industry. Thierry Fremaux told us that only 7% of the 1,8000 films that were submitted to the Cannes festival were directed by women,” Campion began, citing Festival Selector Fremaux’s statistic.

Despite the fact that only 7% of the almost 2,000 submissions were from female directors, the festival boasts fifteen female directors represented in the official selection – though some are co-directors – of which only two are in competition for the Palme d’Or. Fremaux has loudly taken pride in the number of female directors at this year’s Festival, and news outlets such as Variety have declared this year’s festival “big on female filmmakers.” There are 58 male directors being represented this year, meaning that 20 percent of the directors in the official selection at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival are women.

15 Female Directors In Official Selection

Campion made sure to note that 20% is a relatively high number, considering the history of Cannes and film festivals around the world, but also noted that the statistic does not reflect society.

“[It] does feel very undemocratic and women do notice. Time and time again, we don’t get our share of representation. Excuse me, gentlemen, but the guys seem to eat all the cake… It always seems to be a surprise for the world when a woman does come out [as a success], you get a more feminine vision,” Campion said at the Jury press conference.

Campion also insisted that she did not have any sort of feminist agenda when it comes to her role as President of the Jury, telling the press, “I do feel very unencumbered [by a specific agenda or expectation].”

In a separate interview with The Guardian, Campion recalled when she was onstage at the Cannes Film Festival’s 50th Anniversary with other Palme d’Or recipients, saying, “It was a shocking moment. It was embarrassing for everyone. I think everyone felt that it was really not right."

In the interview, Campion also noted that, while she does not believe gender of a director affects the quality of a film, she does think that more female directors in the film industry would open the door for more stories to be told:

“Filmmaking is not about whether you’re a man or a woman; it’s about sensitivity and hard work and really loving what you do. But women are going to tell different stories – there would be many more stories in the world if women were making more films.”

For his part, Fremaux has made clear he no longer wants to discuss the lack of female filmmakers represented in the Cannes Film Festival, noting, perhaps not to his advantage, that the last time there were no women in competition was two years ago.

“We’ve always shown films directed by women. The only time we didn’t have any in competition was two years ago,” Fremaux said in an interview with Variety.

In 2012 there were zero films directed by women among the 22 films presented in Competition, and in 2013 that number went up to 1 out of 20. Fremaux also expressed his feeling that critics who complain about the gender discrepancy are silent during the year when Cannes is not on the forefront.

“And again, it’s an issue that needs to be addressed all year round and not the day the official selection is announced.… Can you imagine us telling a director, ‘ Look, you made a beautiful film but we’re going to take a film directed by a woman instead’? These are stupid considerations,” Fremaux added.