The Tree, directed by Julie Bertucelli, produced by Taylor Media & Les Films du Poisson

“I never wanted to be good as a woman — I wanted to be good as a filmmaker,” Agnes Varda.

The Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, gives the Palme d’Or, the highest prize to competing films. This year the blogosphere and off-line media have been on fire about the lack of female film directors in the 2010 Palme d’Or competition.

Since it’s inception the Palme d’Or has been a risk-taking award often including many filmmakers from the Global South. This was influenced the anti-fascist and progressive origins of the festival. The very first Cannes Film Festival in 1946 had the Egyptian director Mohammed Karim with his film Dunia. This has continued with names like Souleymane Cissé from Mali Mahamat-Saleh Haroun from Chad and more recently the 2010 winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul from Thailand who directed Uncle Boonmee who can Recall his Past Lives. The Palme d’Or has also consistently taken risks by including innovative filmmakers like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Luis Buñuel, Agnes Varda and Andrea Arnold.

The first 44 nominees in 1946 had only one woman: Portuguese director Bárbara Virgínia for her film Três Dias Sem Deus. Since then even with the very long lists of male directors, there are usually just one or two women directors.

It seems the will for experimentation with the Palme d’Or, does not extend to gender.  A shocking statistic by Movie Online shows since 2000, the Cannes Film Festival has screened 212 films in competition and a paltry 8% are by women!

The Tree by Julie Bertucelli – Out of Competition at Cannes Film Festival 2010

Why are women so under-represented in getting selected for awards like the Palme d’Or? Is it because women make bad films, or are busy with babies, or are economically poorer than men? I think the problem of the exclusion of women is buried within our collective psyches. This bias is conditioned by a pervasive and persistent patriarchal gaze which invalidates most creative works by women. Men AND women who form the selection panel in the Palme d’Or are thus transfixed by the dominant idea that ‘genius’ is somehow intrinsic with masculinity. And if they follow progressive anti-colonial philosophies they may even concede that this genius can exist outside of Europe.

When a woman from whatever culture is included amongst nominees, she will often blame other female directors for their own failure in not ‘making the grade’. This is exemplified by comments made by Jane Campion – the only woman to win the Palme d’Or:

“I think women don’t grow up with the harsh world of criticism that men grow up with, we are more sensitively treated, and when you first experience the world of filmmaking you have to develop a very tough skin.

“My suspicion is that women aren’t used to that. They must put on their coats of armour and get going.”

For anything to change in the Cannes Film Festival, the institution needs a radical re-visioning of film culture. I suggest the selectors should only view films which have erased the directorial/writing/producing credits – an example where this was used were blind auditions for the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, and later taken up by the Vienna which led to the inclusion of more female members.

Now the Palme d’Or has a chance to live up to its enfant terrible reputation and take the plunge. I am certain where it leads others will certainly follow.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a singular and distinctive artist and filmmaker. All his films and artworks are set in his native Thailand. Often non-linear and with a strong sense of dislocation, his works deal with memory, subtly addressing personal politics and social issues. Working independently of the Thai commercial film industry, he is active in promoting experimental and independent filmmaking through his company Kick the Machine.

BFI Gallery in London is presenting the UK premiere of Apichatpong’s single screen work Phantoms of Nabua from 14 May.  Described by the artist as ‘a portrait of home’ the installation creates a real-time, yet hypnotic and other worldly experience.

The directors most recent feature film Uncle Boonmee who can Recall his Past Lives (Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat) has been selected for competition at Cannes International Film Festival 2010.  Part of Weerasethakul’s multi-platform Primitive project, the film follows the story of Uncle Boonmee who is suffering from acute kidney failure, as he spends his last days in the countryside surrounded by his loved ones. Here Apichatpong talks about the stories and influences that inspired the film.