Women take spotlight as curtain rises on Cannes Film Festival

Director Emmanuelle Bercot became the first woman since 1987 to open the world’s most famous film festival, with “Standing Tall,” starring French icon Catherine Deneuve. The tough drama marks a change from the normally star-studded openers of past years, such as “Moulin Rouge!” “The Great Gatsby,” “Robin Hood,” “The Da Vinci Code” and “The Fifth Element." On Thursday, the festival’s big blockbuster, "Mad Max: Fury Road,” will screen — but even that also puts a woman (Charlize Theron) at the center of the action.

It’s a total empowerment of women. It’s actually about f—ing time.

Tom Hardy, one of the stars of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’

The portrayal of women will be raised again this week, with the screening of the U.S. film “Carol,” about a lesbian relationship in New York in the 1950s. That movie’s star, Australian Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett, told Variety that films with women at the center were still “tricky to finance.” Later in the festival, Oscar winner Natalie Portman will present a special out-of-competition screening of her directorial debut, “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” about the early years of Israel.

Entertainment Cannes