Maggie Gyllenhaal Blasts Venice Film Festival’s Lack of Women in Competition
Gyllenhaal said female filmmakers face financing hurdles and called the festival’s 2 women-directed films a sign of a wider industry problem.
- On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 83rd Venice International Film Festival jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal arrived at the Palazzo del Casino. She openly addressed gender inequality in the film industry during the festival's opening ceremony.
- Only two of 21 films in the main programme are directed by women. Festival President Alberto Barbera noted 24% of submissions came from female directors, down from 30% last year.
- Citing a "systemic problem," Gyllenhaal argued that female filmmakers struggle to secure financing. She also questioned if their stories are unfairly deemed not "high art."
- Rejecting the idea that cinema can be separated from politics, Gyllenhaal described movies as "fundamentally, unavoidably political." She debuted as a director with "The Lost Daughter" in 2021, which premiered on the Lido.
- While Barbera defended the lineup by citing a responsibility to "ensure the programme's quality," Gyllenhaal argued that films depicting even the "most corrupt, the most perverse people" help audiences reflect on human nature.
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30 Articles
Bitter irony: At the opening of the Venice Film Festival, Jury President Maggie Gyllenhaal has allowed herself sharp criticism of the vanishingly small proportion of women in the competition program.
Only two films in the selection are made or co-realized by a woman, "a systemic problem" according to the American actress.
Le Télégramme
Le TempsGeorge Clooney, honoured at the Venice Mostra, who started on Wednesday, December 2, took the opportunity to criticize the American government. The festival, on the other hand, is pointed out for the small number of women in competition.
Observador
Correio da ManhãThe actress and director presides over the jury of the 83rd edition and questioned who decides "what's good" in cinema, at a festival already under criticism before starting.
The actress and filmmaker also posed at the Venice Film Festival: "How is it possible that we are talking about cinema right now, when the world is in a state of emergency?"George Clooney criticizes AI from Venice: "I would not like to be in an announcement of tampons 20 years after death" American filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, president this year of the Venice Festival jury, acknowledged this Wednesday at a press conference that there is "a syst…
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