82 Female Actors & Directors Led By Cate Blanchett & Agnes Varda Stage Feminist Protest In Cannes

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Eighty-two women including French filmmaker Agnès Varda and the actresses Salma Hayek and Marion Cotillard — appeared on the red carpet for the premiere of “Girls of the Sun” , directed by Eva Husson.  In a display of temperment fiercely embraced by the Kurdish women freedom fighters honored in Husson's film, the women joined Cate Blanchett in a red carpet protest of inequitable representation of women at the Cannes Film Festival. 

The number 82 was chosen precisely because in the 71 festival competitions since 1946, only 82 movies by female directors have contended for awards, compared with a total of 1,645 films by male directors. Only one movie by a female director, 'The Piano' by Jane Campion, has ever won the festival's top price, the Palme d'Or. Ms. Husson is one of three female directors among the 21 Palme d'Or contenders this year for 'Girls of the Sun'. 

According to The New York Times, the 82 women walked up the carpeted staircase, then turned to face the crowd. 

Jessica Chastain's '355' Female Spies Save The World Project Is Hotter Than Hades In Cannes

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Jessica Chastain's '355' Female Spies Save The World Project Is Hotter Than Hades In Cannes

The women are out in full force in Cannes, and in the post-Weinstein, #MeToo era, they mean business -- proving that they really can survive without Harvey. Variety reports that three major Chinese distribution companies are competing to acquire distribution rights in Greater China, and also to become equity investors in Jessica Chastain's original idea project '355'. 

'355' is named after the first female spy in the American revolution, although her precise identity is not known. In Chastain's film, five female operatives band together to stop a global organization determined to acquire a deadly weapon that would thrust the world into chaos. The women are strangers and technically enemies in some cases. Under this dire threat of global destruction, Cruz, Bingbing, Cotillard, Chastain and Nyong'o join forces and become friends in the code-name '355' cell. 

Cannes Jury President Cate Blanchett Makes Sustainability Cornerstone of Festival Fashion Choices

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Cannes 2018 jury president Cate Blanchett arrived in the south of France with stylist Elizabeth Stewart, who sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the star's Cannes wardrobe. Blanchett is using her fashion choices to address several issues that are front and center in Hollywood and around the world:: female representation and sustainability. 

On Tuesday at a jury photo call, Blanchett chose a pastel pink suit by Stella McCartney. The designer recently took full control of her flourishing luxury brand, buying out the 50% share of her company from luxury-giant Kering. McCartney has made environmental and animal welfare the foundation of her luxury business. “You don’t have to dress like a man to be powerful, she (Cate) just happens to like suits and they are a great staple,” notes Stewart.