Cannes 2023; Breaks Record with Six Female Directors
Six women — including established names, festival returnees and one debut filmmaker — will compete for the Palme d’Or.
![The red carpet for the screening of Elvis during the 75th annual Cannes film festival in 2022](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GettyImages-1399242947-copy.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1)
However, the news of five names from 21 films vying for the Palme d’Or didn’t quite make for something to be overly enthusiastic about.
This year looks to be different: a record six female directors are set to compete for the top prize, and this time from a shortened total selection of 19 films (32 percent of the overall competition lineup).
![Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal star in Pedro Almodovar's new short film 'Strange Way of Life'](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Strange-Way-of-Life-H-2023.jpg?w=1296)
![Maiwenn](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Maiwenn-Getty-H-2023-2.jpg?w=1296)
Among the lineup are established names and Cannes returnees, including Alice Rohrwacher with La Chimera (her fourth film to bow at the festival), Jessica Hausner with Club Zero (her fifth Cannes premiere), doc-drama Olfa’s Daughters from Kaouther Ben Hania (making her main competition debut after previously screening in Un Certain Regard), Catherine Breillat with Last Summer (her return to filmmaking after 10 years and her first Cannes film since 2007) and Justine Triet, another festival regular, with Anatomy of a Fall. In Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s Banel Et Adama, the main competition also includes a rare debut feature.
While it may not be the sort of dramatic progress that was promised back in 2018 when prominent industry feminists marched on the Palais and Frémaux vowed to work toward gender parity, it’s progress nonetheless.
The new record is a major step up from 2015 when just two female directors were in competition and comes following the festival’s appointment last year of its first female president in Iris Knobloch.
In 2021, Julia Ducournau became the second female filmmaker to win the Palme.
In 2019, when asked about the gender parity pledge he had signed in 2018, Frémaux said he never intended to program a lineup with 50 percent of film directed by women.
“People ask Cannes to do things they don’t ask other festivals to do,” he said. “Cannes is asked to be impeccable and perfect. No one has asked me to have 50 percent of films made by women. That would show lack of respect.”
The 2023 Cannes Film Festival runs May 16-27.