Cannes 2020 selection includes 23.2% of films directed by women.
In a peculiar way of announcing this year's slate, segregating films by the so-called "faihtful" (or regular suspects in the festival), "newcomers", Caméra d'Or contenders (first film), "omnibus", and strangely putting aside documentaries and animation, Festival de Cannes has published the 56 titles which will hold the covetted label.
Altogether, we find 13 films directed (including two co-directions) by women, which is a remarkable number, but, in any case, it does not mark a peak if we compare this amount with all the films in the sidebar sections that were screened in the last edition of the festival. Since this year's line-up is a cocktail of established, newcomers, comedy and animation technique, we can't tell which films will be contenders for the big prizes.
Last year, 12 women competed for the Caméra d'or when this year, there will only be five. Please, Festival de Cannes, publish the full numbers of submissions and statistics of the curating commitees as you agreed in 2018.
Here's the juicy list of films directed by women which will proudly hold the label Festival de Cannes.
THE FAITHFUL (or directors at least selected once before)
Only two films directed by women in this section of 14 films, the semi-regulars Maïwenn and Kawase which counts as 14%,
ASA GA KURU (True Mothers) by Naomi Kawase (Japan) - 2h20
Production : KINO FILMS CO - International Sales : PLAYTIME - French Distribution : HAUT ET COURT
ADN (DNA) by Maïwenn (France / Algeria) - 1h30
Production : WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS - International Sales : WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL - French Distribution : WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL
THE NEWCOMERS
In this section, there are only three films out of fourteen (21%) helmed by women directors.
PASSION SIMPLE by Danielle Arbid (Lebanon) - 1h36
Production : LES FILMS PELLÉAS - International Sales : PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL - French Distribution : PYRAMIDE DISTRIBUTION
A GOOD MAN by Marie Castille Mention-Schaar (France) - 1h47
Production : WILLOW FILMS - International Sales : PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL - French Distribution : PYRAMIDE DISTRIBUTION
SOUAD by Ayten Amin (Egypt) - 1h30
Production : VIVID REELS
AN OMNIBUS FILM
SEPTET: THE STORY OF HONG KONG by Ann Hui, Johnnie TO, Tsui Hark, Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo-Ping et Patrick Tam - 1h53
Production : MILKYWAY IMAGE - International Sales : MEDIA ASIA DISTRIBUTION
THE FIRST FEATURES
Competing for the virtual Caméra d'or there are five films selected, representing 33.3% .
PLEASURE by Ninja Thyberg (Sweden) - 1h45
Production : PLATTFORM PRODUKTION - International Sales : VERSATILE
SLALOM by Charlène Favier (France) - 1h32
Production : MILLE ET UNE PRODUCTIONS - International Sales : THE PARTY FILM INTERNATIONAL SALES - French Distribution : JOUR2FÊTE
BEGINNING (Au commencement) by Déa Kulumbegashvili (Georgia) - 2h10. Her debut short film Invisible Spaces was nominated for Palme D'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2014
Production : FIRST PICTURE / O.F.A - International Sales : WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL
GAGARINE by Fanny Liatard et Jérémy Trouilh (France) - 1h35
Production : HAUT ET COURT - International Sales : TOTEM FILMS - French Distribution : HAUT ET COURT
16 PRINTEMPS by Suzanne Lindon (France) - 1h13
Production : AVENUE B PRODUCTIONS - International Sales : LUXBOX - French Distribution : PANAME DISTRIBUTION
SI LE VENT TOMBE (Should the Wind Fall) by Nora Martirosyan (Armenia) - 1h40
Production : SISTER PRODUCTIONS - International Sales : INDIE INTERNATIONAL SALES - French Distribution : ROUGE DISTRIBUTION
5 COMEDY FILMS
In this bizarre 2020 selection, there's a special section for comedies, in which we find one film out of five directed by a woman. It's the sophomore film by Caroline Vignal, 20 years after her debut.
ANTOINETTE DANS LES CÉVÈNNES by Caroline Vignal (France) - 1h35
Production : CHAPKA FILMS - International Sales : PLAYTIME - French Distribution : DIAPHANA DISTRIBUTION
4 ANIMATED FILMS and DOCUMENTARIES
There're no women at helm in the animated section nor surprisingly in the documentary section