64TH CANNES FESTIVAL : WOMEN DIRECTORS MAKE A STRONG PRESENCE

A record number of female filmmakers are competing for the biggest prizes in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year. That’s 4 films made by women out of the 20 in the competition category. Last year, there were zero women made films in the competition. Two of the much talked about  films at Cannes this year are directed by women, including Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and Julia Leigh’s “Sleeping Beauty.”
In the competition category, the films made by women directors are :

French film maker Maiwenn

1. POLISS  by French actress and film maker Maiwenn. The movie explores undercurrents of violence against children with family issues and broken homes that involves police intervention and the consuming psychological impact on them.

Australian director Julia Leigh

2. SLEEPING BEAUTY a debut movie by Australian novelist Julia Leigh, which is a story of a student who fulfills the fantasies of wealthy elderly men. A disturbing movie showcasing the extreme dark side of human psyche.

Scottish director Lynn Ramsay

3. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Scottish director Lynne Ramsay which tells the story about a boy after he goes on a killing spree. It revolves around a troubled, manipulative, violent boy, who pretended to be normal.

Japanese director Naomi Kawase

4. HANEZU by Japanese director Naomi Kawase, the movie being set in Asuka region, the birthplace of Japanese culture.

Movies 1 to 3, that center around sociopathic issues that an average person cannot even imagine happens in the society,...is bound to create a tornado of psychological turmoil upon watching them. One would need a thick skin and strong stomach to watch these or else the stories and images are  going to sort of haunt you for several days. It's quite a great achievement for women film makers to be competing at the Cannes this time.