Venice Film Festival 2026: Only One Woman Director in Competition
At the 2026 Venice Film Festival, only one film directed by a woman, May el-Toukhy's 'Woman Unknown', is in the running for the Golden Lion among 20 contenders. This marks a significant drop from six in both 2024 and 2025, five in 2023, 2022, and 2021, and eight in 2020. Alberto Barbera, the artistic director, acknowledged the need for more films by female directors but pointed out a decline in both quantity and quality. In the Orizzonti section, eight out of 19 projects are helmed by women, including Alina Marazzi's 'The Girl with the Leica'. The article emphasizes the ongoing perception issues surrounding female-directed films, noting that only seven women have secured the Golden Lion in 77 years.
Key facts
- 2026 Venice Film Festival competition includes only one film by a woman director, May el-Toukhy's 'Woman Unknown'.
- 19 other competition films are directed by men.
- In 2024 and 2025, there were six women-directed films in competition; five in 2023, 2022, and 2021; eight in 2020.
- Alberto Barbera, artistic director, said he was 'actually desperate' to find more female-directed films but cited a decrease in films made by women and quality concerns.
- Orizzonti section features eight women directors out of 19 projects, including Alina Marazzi and Rubaiyat Hossain.
- Only seven women have ever won the Golden Lion in 77 years; three wins in recent years: Chloé Zhao (2020), Audrey Diwan (2021), Laura Poitras (2022).
- Several women have led the competition jury since the late 2010s: Isabelle Huppert, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Lucrecia Martel, Annette Bening.
- The article argues that the issue is perception, not quality, citing poorly received male-directed films like 'Joker: Folie à Deux' in competition.
Entities
Artists
- May el-Toukhy
- Kaouther Ben Hania
- Chloé Zhao
- Audrey Diwan
- Laura Poitras
- Isabelle Huppert
- Julianne Moore
- Cate Blanchett
- Lucrecia Martel
- Annette Bening
- Alina Marazzi
- Rubaiyat Hossain
- Anuparna Roy
- Martin McDonagh
- Danny Boyle
- Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Lee Chang-dong
- Florian Zeller
- Werner Herzog
- Noah Baumbach
- László Nemes
- Benny Safdie
- Todd Phillips
Institutions
- Venice Film Festival
- The Hollywood Reporter
- Variety
Locations
- Venice
- Italy