Cate Blanchett Directs The Red Carpet Protest At The Cannes Film Festival This Year

Cate Blanchett and many other women at the Cannes Film Festival this year went arm-and-arm while protesting in the support of gender equality. Salma Hayek, Kristen Stewart, Patty Jenkins, and Ava DuVernay backed up Cate Blanchett on the stairs of the Palais Des Festivals.
At this year’s festival, only 82 of the films presented were directed by women, while the other 1,645 were directed by men. Reportedly, this is a result of institutionalized sexism, rather than individual choices made by women in society.
In a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Cate gave a very powerful speech while on the stairs, including statements that men and women need to come together to support an atmosphere of inclusivity and equality.
As you may know, gender equality has become an important topic in Hollywood and in the entertainment world in the past year-and-a-half.
Following the catastrophic allegations against the disgraced producer, Harvey Weinstein, a nationwide – and then worldwide – conversation began regarding equality and sexual harassment in the industry.
The women of Hollywood have their own counterparts in France who support the initiative as well, called, “5050×2020.”
“5050×2020″‘s website called attention to the fact that, although Weinstein’s accusations kicked off the movement in the United States, the movement in North America inspired the call for change worldwide.
Last year, the New York Times and the New Yorker published the allegations against Harvey Weinstein and because of their reports, the #MeToo movement began.
Subsequently, the entertainment world saw a precipitous fall of men in broadcasting, journalism, the music industry, Hollywood, and in the world at large.
The movement even began overseas including in countries like Sweden and Finland. Time Magazine listed a large group of women in the entertainment industry as the “people of the year,” with the cover featuring Taylor Swift, Rose McGowan, among others.