According to an open letter published in Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper, six Italian film bodies have criticized the Venice Film Festival for a lack of female representation in its main competition, noting that just one film by a female director made the 21-title lineup following the official selection announcement.
Venice Film Festival Faces Backlash Over Male-Dominated Main Competition
The open letter was signed by 100autori, Anac, Air3, Doc/it, and the Italian branches of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (Ewa) and Women in Film Television & Media. According to the signatories, Italy was represented in the prestigious Competition and Out of Competition sidebars by seven male directors while no Italian female directors made the cut.
“It is a one-dimensional, male dominated selection,” the letter stated. The signatories pointed to Alina Marazzi’s The Girl with the Leica, focusing on real-life German-Jewish war photographer Gerda Taro, and Anna Foglietta’s empty-nester couple drama Un Storia—both premiering in the Orizzonti sidebar—as offering hope for a more balanced reflection of humanity.
Did you know? In 2018, the Venice Film Festival signed the “50/50 by 2020” pledge committing to transparency and gender equality in its selection process, following an outcry over a single female-directed film in competition.
Festival Organizers Point to Drop in Submissions and Quality
Addressing the criticism, artistic director Alberto Barbera told Deadline in an interview that he and his selection team scouted extensively for female-directed films but found that both submission numbers and perceived quality had dropped.
“The percentage of fiction films submitted by women this year was 24% against 30% last year. It’s a countertrend compared to recent years in which the number of female-directed films grew,” Barbera said, adding that the decrease was inexplicable and likely tied to lowered available film budgets.
Recent editions of the festival had featured notable successes for women, including Golden Lion wins for Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland in 2020, Audrey Diwan’s Happening in 2021, and Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed in 2022. The 2025 edition also featured six high-profile female-directed pictures in competition.
Challenging Assumptions About Cinematic Quality
The open letter directly challenged assertions that the lack of female directors stemmed strictly from merit, questioning the historical and cultural neutrality of quality assessments in the arts.
“Quality is not some divine, neutral, or objective category hovering above history; we know full well that it is a concept that shifts and evolves,” the letter stated. The groups urged the festival to reevaluate its evaluation tools rather than concluding that female directors simply fall short.
The signatories called on festival leadership to honor the spirit of the 2018 parity pledge, emphasizing that cultural change requires ongoing awareness and responsibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many female-directed films made the main competition at Venice this year?
Only one film by a female director, May-el Toukhy’s Woman Unknown, secured a spot in the 21-title main competition.
Which organizations signed the open letter?
The letter was signed by 100autori, Anac, Air3, Doc/it, and the Italian branches of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (Ewa) and Women in Film Television & Media.
What did festival artistic director Alberto Barbera say about the selection?
Alberto Barbera stated that submissions of fiction films by women dropped to 24% compared to 30% the previous year, noting a decline in both the volume and quality of submitted projects.
What are your thoughts on the representation of female directors at major film festivals? Share your views in the comments below.