Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is leading the jury at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, has spoken out about a “systemic problem” she observed in the selection process for the prestigious Golden Lion award. Only two female directors were among the contenders for this top honor, a situation she linked to challenges in financing films directed by women and differing views on what qualifies as high art. Gyllenhaal, who made her directing debut with The Lost Daughter, which won a best screenplay award at Venice in 2021, questioned who ultimately decides what cinematic value is. The artistic directors of the festival faced criticism when they initially listed only one female director, May el-Toukhy, among the 20 contenders for the Golden Lion. In response, the festival added a documentary titled NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, both of whom are also behind the Oscar-winning film No Other Land. This addition brought the number of female directors in the running to two. The jury, which includes a diverse group of international filmmakers and scholars, includes Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, Hong Kong’s Johnnie To, Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat, and others. There had been uncertainty about whether the jury would give interviews to the press before the festival began, possibly due to a “scheduling conflict.” The festival lineup includes films that tackle politically charged topics, such as the Israel/Palestine conflict and the Russia/Ukraine war, as well as a film about media mogul Rupert Murdoch and a documentary on Elon Musk. These themes may have influenced the jury’s reluctance to engage with the media ahead of the event. Gyllenhaal addressed the political nature of cinema, responding to earlier comments by Wim Wenders, the jury president at the Berlin Film Festival, who suggested filmmakers should “stay out of politics” when questioned about Israel and Palestine. Gyllenhaal argued that cinema naturally fosters empathy, even for those who are corrupt or morally questionable. She emphasized that films that offer an honest portrayal of others' experiences are inherently political, stating that such storytelling is “fundamentally, unavoidably political.”