The lack of female directors competing for the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival reflects a wider “systemic problem”, jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal said as the world’s oldest film festival prepared to open on Wednesday.
Only two of the directors competing for the festival’s top prize this year are women, compared with six in 2025.
Gyllenhaal initially responded with a joke when asked about the imbalance, telling reporters: “I think it’s finally become clear that men make better films than women.” The remark drew laughter before she gave her serious answer.
“I’ll answer seriously, there’s a systemic problem,” she said at a press conference alongside Venice festival director Alberto Barbera and the presidents of the festival’s other juries.
Gyllenhaal argued that female directors still face greater difficulties securing funding for their films and suggested that stories dealing with women’s experiences may not always be viewed as being of the same artistic importance as other subjects.
“But who decides what’s good? Who decides what has value?” she asked.
‘It’s still been a short time’
Barbera rejected the suggestion that Venice’s selection process discriminates against films based on their subject matter.
“In the very long selection process, there’s no bias regarding form or content; the only criterion is the quality of the film,” he said.
Gyllenhaal said, however, that the film industry was still adjusting to the presence of more women behind the camera.
“I think it’s still been a short time since women had the opportunity to make films,” she said, adding that it would take time for the industry to become accustomed to women telling stories in different ways from men.
The actress and filmmaker has personal experience of the issue. Her directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, premiered at Venice in 2021, while her latest film, The Bride!, is also part of this year’s festival programme.
Gyllenhaal said she had probably always wanted to direct but had not seen enough female directors around her while growing up in California. She cited filmmakers including Agnès Varda as examples of women she only discovered later, while actresses such as Gena Rowlands, Ingrid Bergman and Ellen Burstyn had initially provided her with examples of women having a strong artistic influence on films.
Gyllenhaal defends cinema during global conflicts
Gyllenhaal was also asked why a major international film festival should be taking place while conflicts and other crises continue around the world. She said cinema’s ability to create empathy was precisely why it remained important.
“I believe cinema offers the opportunity to find empathy within ourselves,” she said.
For Gyllenhaal, even difficult stories about morally corrupt or disturbing characters can have value because they allow audiences to consider other people’s experiences and reflect on their own capacity for darkness.
She also argued that films which honestly portray other people’s lives are inevitably political because they encourage audiences to see the world from perspectives other than their own.
Clooney takes aim at US leadership
George Clooney, who received a Golden Lion for career achievement at the festival’s opening ceremony, also made political comments after arriving on the Venice Lido.
The 65-year-old actor and director criticised the current political leadership in the United States without naming President Donald Trump directly.
“It’s not easy to live in a country led by the least capable people,” Clooney said.
He pointed to November’s midterm elections as a potential turning point, saying they would provide an opportunity for voters to assess the situation and expressing hope that the country would return to “a more normal situation”.
The 83rd Venice Film Festival runs until September 12, with films from around the world competing for the Golden Lion alongside a programme of premieres and special screenings.
