It is home to some of the best films in the world and yet the hot topic at this year’s Venice Film Festival is not a film but the matter of gender equality. Fortunately, Academy-Award winning director Guillermo del Toro, who is the Venice jury president, acknowledged it. The festival has already been slammed for its lack of female-directed films in competition while it plays host to scores of male-directed films.
“I think the goal has to be 50-50 by 2020. If it’s 50-50 by 2019, that’s even better,” del Toro reportedly said at a news conference. He was joined by Christoph Waltz, Naomi Watts, Sylvia Chang, Trine Dyrholm, Nicole Garcia, Paolo Genovese, Malgorzata Szumowska and Taika Waititi, who form the rest of the Venice jury.
As Variety noted, out of the 21 films in competition, only one is directed by a woman.
“We have a real problem now. It’s a real problem in our culture in general,” del Toro further stated. “Many of the voices that need to be heard have to be heard. It’s not a matter of establishing a quota; it’s a matter of in this time, precisely this type of conversation [is needed] to call it out and make it known. I think it’s necessary because for many decades, if not centuries, it has not been called [out].”
As for Guillermo del Toro, he revealed that of the five films he is producing, three will be directed by women, including two who will be making their feature debuts.
The festival will go on till September 8.