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Jessica Chastain “Disturbed” By Depiction Of Women At 2017 Cannes Film Festival

CANNES – The jury of the 70th Cannes Film Festival made history — or maybe that should be “herstory.” They not only awarded the festival’s best director honor to “The Beguiled”‘s Sofia Coppola, the first time a woman has won in 50 years, but they bestowed the screenplay honor (in a tie) to “You Were Never Really Here“‘s Lynne Ramsay. Despite that, jury members Jessica Chastain, Agnès Jaoui, Maren Ade and Fan Bingbing spoke at the post-ceremony press conference about their concerns over how women were depicted in the films screened during the festival.

“This is the first time I watched 20 films in 10 days, and what I really took away from this experience is how the world views women,” Chastain says. “It was quite disturbing to me, to be honest. There were quite some exceptions. I was surprised by the representation of female characters on film.”

She continues, “I think if we include more female storytellers, I hope we have more women that I see in my own day-to-day life. They just don’t react to the men around them. They have their own point-of-view.”

READ MORE: Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Beguiled’ With Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell & Kirsten Dunst [Cannes Review]

Jaoui, the French filmmaker best known for directing “The Taste Of Others,” completely agreed. “It is a big issue. We need a lot more of female movies.”

Ade, whose celebrated “Toni Erdmann” was snubbed last year, wanted to make sure the public realized they didn’t give these awards to women just because they were women.

“I really have to say, I was always so happy meeting other female directors just because I found out after a while of being always [surrounded] by men, the impression comes out that it’s really not a good job for a woman, and I think that’s completely wrong,” Ade says. “I think we need more women doing film because we all want the film business to reflect modern society. I think I also agree [we’re] missing a lot of stories they might tell. Also on female characters, I also often found their view on men interesting. Not that men can’t do those films, but I agree.”

Will Smith joked-but-didn’t-joke, “A couple of black folks won’t hurt there either. We’ll talk about that in another time.”

READ MORE: Lynne Ramsay’s Extraordinary ‘You Were Never Really Here’ Starring Joaquin Phoenix [Cannes Review]

Celebrated Chinese actress Fan also chimed in, noting, “First, I want to say I’m really happy to present this award to Sofia Coppola because she did amazing work to the audience. We just want to advocate to focus on female filmmakers in the future. This is not something I want to judge; I want to advocate, and we want to encourage, filmmakers to present more female characters. I have to say she won this prize not because she’s a female filmmaker, but because [of] the film itself.”

It was somewhat shocking for jury members to openly criticize the films selected, but responding to another question, Smith remarked about how the lack of representation was a topic of conversation. More intriguingly, some of them want to do something about it.

“This jury is composed of a global community, and [a] major part of the time we spent being sequestered how to be a part of the future of the Cannes Film Festival in opening avenues to the world to be able to bring of women [and] people of color, communities that don’t have as much access to this vibrant community,” Smith says. “Actually this morning, we had conversations about how we could open those avenues. We have some ideas. Director Park Chan-wook and I [are] forming a board and a coalition that might be able to find films and present them more effectively to the Cannes community, and by the Cannes community, I mean Thierry Frémaux and Pierre Lescure. Just open the alleyways. This jury was very focused and very intent on going beyond today to be a part of the solution to some of those difficulties.”

It’s curious how the French industry, media and Cannes director Fremaux and president Lescure will think of this. There is always ample criticism over the selections every year, but the jury’s points are very valid. Compared to the world’s other great festivals, Cannes gets strong points in its representation of Asian film. But this year in particular, the lack of African and African-American characters and films was just as striking as Chastain’s point about the depiction of women in even some of the “celebrated” films. Change may not happen at Cannes anytime soon, but this jury certainly seemed empowered to make changes in their own corners of the world.

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48 COMMENTS

    • I’m willing to bet if they gave special awards just for you bloody Hindus you’d be defending THAT bias to the hilt – then again, your pathetic kind always did consider yourselves “white” while slavishly aping your masters ….

      • Nope,I wouldn’t like that of they give awards to just Hindus because that’s coward’s way out…Made for people like you,who is only capable of supporting filmmaker by their race or gender and not by the quality of their work.

        • Yes, yes … keep on crowing about me “supporting filmmaker by race or gender” when I made NO comment of the sort … I’m just curious as to why you are attacking Chastain over some perceived bias when she was probably just bored and upset over watching the same stereotyped depictions of women in supposedly “edgy” and arty progressive cinema?

          • I never attacked Chastain,I never even mentioned her.As I said before I am against supporting filmmakers based on gender,race or beliefs.

    • There’s always been bias at awards shows – I don’t see you complaining when the Oscars practically give their awards away to the latest holocaust movie right?

      • Just like I don’t see you in every comment,you don’t see me in every article.Do you have anything to say about this matter or you are only good at insulting???

        • I’m VERY good at insulting but that’s not the point – Just how did her (Chastain) perfectly reasonable comment about women being mostly portrayed as victims or in other negative fashions suddenly become a spiel on selecting films based on race and gender? Maybe she got fed up of watching the 1,000th movie where the ‘heroine’ is a prostitute who needs to be saved by the main male character?

          • You do know that article has comments from others too right.There are many films that shows strong women,she just needs to turn her head to right side,almodovar is one of those guys….and regardless when someone says that we need filmmakers of such and such gender and such and such race is not important.We just need good filmmakers.

    • Judging by your name, you’re Hindu right? Why did your Indian National awards give their best actor trophy to a non-actor who’s like the Jean-Claude Van Damme of Asia ? Is it because he supports the ruling right-wing BJP government?

        • Surprisingly they were good but after the right-wing Hindu nationalist govt. took over they’ve been doling out awards to their fave stooges – while ignoring people who did good work!

          • Then I do not support that kind of bullshit and that proves my point,recognizing filmmakers based on their beliefs,gender and race rather then quality of film is not right way to go.

  1. “what I really took away from this experience is how the world views women,” Chastain says. “It was quite disturbing to me, to be honest” disturbing how in what way? What is she talking about? Sounds like she’s complaining for the sake of complaining.

    • Sounds like you’re just going with defensive gut backlash against criticism without having a fucking clue cause critical thinking makes you uncomfortable

  2. No we don’t need more movies from women about women.

    I’m a woman and for the better part of my life, my life has been made near impossible by women. Don’t pretend they’re any better than men (in fact, I think most men are kind of broken because of egotistical, lazy women. )
    To add, I’m completely, utterly done by ‘this trend of correct visualisation about genders’.

    As long as US film-industry thinks portraying diversity consists of portraying American overly thin creatures (and therefore they’re pretty) is diversity, I pass on their misplaced righteousness. This goes as well for the muscular male-types, whether from Bollywood, Britain etc. They are the very industry that shows us stereotypes.

    I’m not asking to be portrayed in film/TV, I have imagination, all I’m asking for is craftsmanship.
    Chastain is an excellent actor, she seems to mean well, I suggest to do your job and I’m happy.

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