Maggie Gyllenhaal kicked off her term as Venice jury president by calling out the lack of women filmmakers in the running for the prestigious Golden Lion. And on Saturday night, she concluded it by awarding the prize to the only film solely directed by a woman: May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown.”
But at a press conference after the awards ceremony, Gyllenhaal rejected the notion that she and her fellow jury members were making any sort of “political statement,” as one journalist put it, with their selection. “I actually didn’t see ‘Woman Unknown,'” she deadpanned. “I just was like, ‘It’s made by a woman and so, Golden Lion!'”
Speaking sincerely, Gyllenhaal continued: “I will say that, of course, I anticipated that question. There are many movies that women made that I don’t like and some that I actively, strongly don’t like, just like films made by men. I have one vote just as each member of this jury does, and so all of the decisions that we make are always complicated, always involve a lot of conversation.”
She sighed and added, “I think I’m tired of talking about this same subject over and over. I will continue to do it, but just for a minute, here in this incredible place, I just want to celebrate a beautifully made movie that I felt was like a laser beam just for the well-made movie that it is.”
