Cannes Film Festival jury head says number of female directors on rise

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival, the world’s most popular, kicked off on Tuesday with a French comedy. The head of the festival said the number of female directors has increased compared to previous years.

Ahead of the start of the festival and during the jury press conference, Greta Grewing, this year's jury president of the festival said there is an increase in the number of female directors compared with the past.

"I have been making movies and going to film festivals for almost 20 years, and in a way, this is never not been a question of moving things forward and increasing the number of female directors and the number of female authors," Grewing answered Rudaw's Payam Sarbast on complaints about a low number of female directors in this year's film festivals.

"In my lifetime of making movies, it has changed and it has gotten better. There is more. It is not done yet. But it is certainly moving in the right direction. And I look forward to every movie that we are fortunate enough to see. And every year, I cheer when there are more and more women being represented," she added.

The event brings together industry insiders, critics, upstarts, and celebrities.

The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival is taking place from 14 to 25 May 2024 during which nearly 150 movies will be premiered across the festival's various categories.

Palme d’Or is the highest prize to be awarded at the event on the closing date - May 25. Twenty-two films will be competing for the award.

More than 4,000 reporters from up to 2,000 media outlets are covering the world's most popular film industry event.