Only female director at Venice Film Festival calls out gender inequality

May el-Toukhy addressed gender inequality at Venice after becoming only woman directing fiction film in competition

Danish director May el-Toukhy has spoken about gender inequality in the film industry after becoming the only woman directing a fiction film among the 21 films competing for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

El-Toukhy discussed the lack of women directors on Sunday as she presented her drama Woman Unknown, which is competing for the festival's top prize. A documentary in the competition also has a female co-director.

"It is a structural problem, and it's a structural problem that I have encountered throughout my own career," the Danish-Egyptian filmmaker told a news conference ahead of the film's premiere.

"It was very, very hard to get my first film done after graduating from film school. I think it took ‌me six or seven years, whereas ⁠my male peers were much faster than me."

Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera has defended this year's selection, noting that women directed 24% of submitted films, compared with 30% the previous year. He said selection decisions were based on artistic quality.

El-Toukhy said women directors continue to face difficulties securing financing, which can affect film budgets, casting opportunities and the likelihood of their projects reaching major festivals.

Woman Unknown is set in Denmark following the Second World War and centres on Marie, a housemaid preparing to marry her wealthy employer. Her past relationship with a German soldier threatens her future as the country deals with the aftermath of the occupation.

The film also explores the treatment of women accused of fraternising with German forces, who were subjected to public humiliation and vigilante justice.

"My film is about the invisibility of women," El-Toukhy said. "It's about being objectified on one hand and on the other hand being ‌unseen and voiceless."

"Of course, I would love ​to have more female colleagues in competition beside me," she added. "After MeToo, all of ‌us were really aware of this gender imbalance, ​and something has happened ​over the course of the last couple of years where we're kind of returning to what it used to be."