The Cannes Film Festival’s awards will be handed out on Sunday, and for a change women are expected to be directly in the spotlight.
In the 69-year history of the festival, no woman has been the sole recipient of the Palme d’Or, the award traditionally given to the director of the year’s top film. Jane Campion took the prize for “The Piano” in 1993, but she shared the award with director Chen Kaige, who tied for the Palme with his “Farewell My Concubine.” And in 2013, the jury specified that the Palme for “Blue Is the Warmest Color” should go not only to director Abdellatif Kechiche, but to actresses Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos as well.