>Already under fire for its lack of female representation, the event stunned the global film world by setting premieres with Roman Polanski and Nate Parker. Some say it’s an intentional provocation: "The message is loud and clear.
>"Venice is completely tone-deaf about issues related to #MeToo and Time's Up," says Melissa Silverstein, founder of the advocacy website Women and Hollywood and director of the Athena Film Festival. "This is all part of the world we are living in now. You can't just pretend that having a person like Roman Polanski or Nate Parker in your lineup is not going to cause a huge reaction."
>In an era when Hollywood has little tolerance for talent swept up in a #MeToo scandal — as when Amazon dropped Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York amid resurfaced allegations from his daughter Dylan Farrow that he molested her when she was 7 — and even notoriously macho Cannes has made strides with female award winners, Venice stands alone as the last major un-woke film festival.
>"It's like they enjoy being the last dinosaur standing," says Laura Kaehr, co-president of the Swiss Women's Audiovisual Network, SWAN and a documentary filmmaker currently working on Becoming Giulia, a look at gender discrimination in the world of ballet.
>"Personally, I have a problem with celebrating work from men who have had a problematic relationship to women," Berlin-based producer Janine Jackowiski (Toni Erdmann) tells THR. "You can see how in America, if you don't play by the rules, you're out. Here in Europe, there's still the idea of the 'genius' who is allowed to do anything and should be celebrated for it."
>Jackowiski adds that she isn't calling for a ban on films from "problematic" men but says "the issues surrounding them should be discussed, and their films should be seen in that context."
>Both Polanski and Parker have been persona non grata in Hollywood. Last year Polanski was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For his sophomore feature, Parker couldn't land traditional Hollywood funding and relied on financing from Tunisian producer Tarak Ben Ammar, a former investor and board member of The Weinstein Co.
>But both filmmakers will be honored guests in Venice, even if Polanski can attend only via Skype given that he would likely face extradition if he sets foot outside France, where he resides.
>"I can't believe Venice pulled this shit again," one female filmmaker tells THR. "Not only do they basically snub women, but then they put Polanski in competition. I think the message they are sending is loud and clear: They want to continue celebrating people who have been convicted or accused of sexual assault."
Henry Morgan
>The Venice festival does not seem bothered. Speaking to THR after the official lineup announcement, Barbera defended Polanski as "one of the last great European filmmakers, one of the last true artists from the classical period of 20th century cinema." He then compared Polanski's criminal record to that of Italian painter Caravaggio, who was convicted of murder. "He was a killer, but he's one of the major painters of the Italian Baroque period. It's not so different."
>This comparison strikes Alessia Sonaglioni, network director for the European Women's Audiovisual Network, a group that promotes gender equality across the film and TV industries in Europe, as out of step with the times. "Caravaggio lived in the 16th century; we're in the 21st. You'd think things would have changed," she says. "But in Venice, it's the same old mantra. … They don't really care about the gender issue."
>Sonaglioni, and others, point to the counter example of Cannes, another traditional European festival that long resisted calls to address gender imbalance in its lineup but, this year, appeared to have made strides, with a competition that included up-and-coming female talent such as Mati Diop — whose debut, Atlantics, won Cannes' grand prix honor — and Céline Sciamma, winner of this year's screenplay prize for her feminist period drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
>"Other festivals — Cannes, Berlin, Locarno — are really making an effort and they are making progress. It just seems like Venice is the only festival not making an effort," says Kaehr. "I feel they are out of touch. Either that or it's a publicity stunt."
Charles Williams
>The festival has courted controversy in recent years well outside gender-equity issues. When Netflix's Roma won 2018's Golden Lion, a national uproar ensued, with Italian exhibitors blasting Barbera for turning Venice into little more than a "marketing vehicle" for the streaming giant. Undeterred, this year Barbera has selected three Netflix films: Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story in competition and, in an out-of-competition slot, David Michôd's The King.
>So far, Barbera's Oscar play seems to be working. Venice is back on top among the world's most prestigious film festivals — on par with Cannes, and with an impressive awards-season pedigree.
>"Maybe we should all be like Venice — just ignore everything you journalists and the PC media say with regard to gender equality and Netflix and do whatever we want," the head of another major A-list festival tells THR, "and then sit back and hear how we are the best festival in the world."
>"I would love to see a festival stigmatized for not taking a progressive agenda, but I don't think we're there yet," says Sonaglioni. "At the moment, Venice's agenda is being the pre-Oscar festival, and as long as they're good at that, they don't really care about the gender issue. I don't think we'll see real change until Barbera leaves [next year is the Barbera's last festival as director]."
>To Silverstein, Venice appears to be simply paying lip service to women's issues by signing the so-called 50/50 by 2020 pledge last year (it was the last major film fest to do so). After all, the twin billing of Polanski and Parker speaks volumes.
>"So they have to make a decision, which they clearly did, that it was worth it for them to program these people," she says. "We are way past the time when these things go unnoticed. But I don't think they give a flying fuck."
Austin Carter
I am from Italy and fuck women, jews, niggers and muslims
Jose Anderson
Womens rights were a severe mistake. They should have their mouths gagged and they should be locked in cages.
Landon Cox
>Jackowiski adds that she isn't calling for a ban on films from "problematic" men but says "the issues surrounding them should be discussed, and their films should be seen in that context.
Translation: she wants to ban films from problematic men
Jack Jackson
>(((Silverstein)))
Charles Morgan
>Silverstein
Brody Gonzalez
>even notoriously macho Cannes has made strides with female award winners, Venice stands alone as the last major un-woke film festival. women should get awards for being women
Henry Powell
>>Already under fire for its lack of female representation BASICALLY STOPPED READING RIGHT THERE ALL I NEEDED TO HEAR
ABSOLUTELY BASED
FORZA VENEZIA
Justin Reed
>supporting millionaire jewish pedophiles to own the libs
Notice how nobody of importance or value is speaking up about it publicly outside of small Hollywood bubble. It's inherently american thing to automatically translate your own problems on the global scale through their media, when, in reality, nobody fucking cares
Jaxson King
based water people
Samuel Reed
Maybe they're just concerned with, you know, movies. Speaking of which Angel Has Fallen looks like that once or twice in a year good mainstream movie, and it's bizarrely accurate about the Russia hoax.
Daniel Gonzalez
Of course it's retarded Americans complaining, they complained about fucking Cannes this year and this article claims that Cannes is among festivals that's improving. Make up your mind.
>To Silverstein, Venice appears to be simply paying lip service to women's issues by signing the so-called 50/50 by 2020 pledge last year (it was the last major film fest to do so). After all, the twin billing of Polanski and Parker speaks volumes. This cunt is so retarded. Cannes also signed this. They had 3 women in competition and Kechiche too, who is known for treating his actresses like pieces of shit. This just means that the committee that picks the films is 50/50 from my understanding. Based Frémaux and based Barbera for dabbing on those retarded SJWs, feminist cunts and kike American journalists. Absolutely based. Venice also has a new cut of Irreversible this year. There was also a rumour about new cut of Mektoub (the Kechiche controversial Cannes film) but unfortunately that's not playing. It's shame that Barbera is leaving, hopefully based Frémaux will stay in Cannes.
Bentley Richardson
>the so-called 50/50 by 2020 pledge FUCK THIS BULLSHIT
I DONT WANT 50% CHICK FLICKS ITS ALWAYS FULL OF GENDER WHINING
>"Maybe we should all be like Venice — just ignore everything you journalists and the PC media say with regard to gender equality and Netflix and do whatever we want," the head of another major A-list festival tells THR, "and then sit back and hear how we are the best festival in the world." BASED DO IT FAGGOT
>>"I can't believe Venice pulled this shit again," one female filmmaker tells THR. "Not only do they basically snub women SEEEEEEEETHING LMAO
Venice improved their female representation by 100% this year compared to the last. Last year one woman, this year 2 women. Based Barbera.
Daniel Martinez
>I would love to see a festival stigmatized for not taking a progressive agenda indeed, that just happens to be your sole agenda
Daniel Harris
moar liek benis bilm bestival :D :D :D :D
Hudson Howard
>Jackowiski adds that she isn't calling for a ban on films from "problematic" men but says "the issues surrounding them should be discussed, and their films should be seen in that context." Why are leftists so dishonest?
Caleb Russell
Name 20 kino female directors.
William Hall
Polanski is a hard one for lefties, on one hand they need to hate him for objectifying women, on the other they need to defend him for being a child rapist. It’s a tense situation
Jose Jones
There's three or four good Soviet ones, Penny Marshall, and Deepa Mehta.
Christian King
>Penny Marshall Bitch what? And the other one is some bollywood shit. Bad enough you're iliterate and don't understand what 20(twenty) means.
Blake Rivera
There are some good female directors but i'm not sure i could name 20.
Joseph Thomas
TOO BAD SHITLORD!
YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE 50% OF ALL MOVIES BE ABOUT MUHVAGINA BY 2020
OKAY BIGOT??? UGH #TIMESUP PATRIARCHAL MALE SCUM
Nicholas Adams
>Becoming Giulia, a look at gender discrimination in the world of ballet. a world thats 90% female. why are women so retarded
Caleb Lopez
>>"Maybe we should all be like Venice — just ignore everything you journalists and the PC media say with regard to gender equality and Netflix and do whatever we want," the head of another major A-list festival tells THR, "and then sit back and hear how we are the best festival in the world." based
Based Venice Festival. Trendy feminist rage warms my heart.
Thomas Myers
>under fire for its lack of female representation >Venice is completely tone-deaf about issues related to #MeToo and Time's Up >they basically snub women, but then they put Polanski in competition >I would love to see a festival stigmatized for not taking a progressive agenda, but I don't think we're there yet >the so-called 50/50 by 2020 pledge Peak clown world, fuck these hysterical bitches, film festivals shouldn't cater to anyone's feelings or have fucking affirmative action so hack women can have their films screened.
>"Maybe we should all be like Venice — just ignore everything you journalists and the PC media say with regard to gender equality and Netflix and do whatever we want," the head of another major A-list festival tells THR, "and then sit back and hear how we are the best festival in the world." Absolutely based
>NOOOOO you can't just ignore our pozzed psyops >Wh-what about me too, Venice is literally raping all women
Carter Cox
Daily reminder Mussolini was the most underrated world leader, literally took a shitty country and set everyone on a lofty goal to repair it, did almost as much good as Chairman Mao but with way fewer casualties and didn't have to kill millions of Jews either. Made an Olympic stadium to glorify the male body and Rome Olympics was widely regarded as the best one in decades, basically used fascism to unite rather than destroy.
Only reason he failed was WWII and he had such a cult like worship that losing meant that he had to die horribly. Otherwise what he did was astonishing.
Logan Davis
>Venice stands alone as the last major un-woke film festival. > journalism in 2019
Gavin Fisher
Based and Most Serenepilled
Daniel Davis
Cool blog
Evan Gomez
Good, fuck women and fuck american ''problems''
Benjamin Reyes
Not gonna lie, this makes me want to visit Venice, where before I didn't give two shits about it. How could such a based place be hidden from me for long.
William Evans
Has anyone here been to Venice? It has the reputation of babby's first tourist destination but I'm a sucker for canals and I kind of want to see sometime. Like Amsterdam though it might be a pain to be surrounded by so many other outsiders.
Christian Stewart
As an Italian I can confirm you do know nothing of our people or culture. People only liked Mussolini out of fear for the most part. Dissent was meant with death.
Juan Long
I've been twice, the city is beautiful with many old buildings and monuments but there are too much tourists and it's really expensive
Logan Peterson
>but there are too much tourists Fucking shoobies
Isaiah Young
Just get into the tourist traps and monuments, see what you want to see, and start exploring the countryside
Kayden Carter
HOLY BASED
Daniel Rogers
Unironically wish women and all subhumans peddling the victim narrative would fuck off to the Amazon jungle right now.
Matthew Sanchez
It's nice, definitely worth visiting. It's always full of chinks though.
Jacob Cooper
The libs aren’t libs, so yeah, I will.
Leo Long
>Venice is literally raping all women BASED VENICE WOMEN LOVE RAPE
