Women Directors Slam ‘Toxic Masculinity’ at Venice Film Festival

Women directors on Wednesday slammed the organizers of the Venice Film Festival for its “toxic masculinity” as it opened with just one female director out of 21 featured for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, festival director Alberto Barbera said he’d rather quit than meet a quota, as other festivals all over the world pledged gender equality. “When Alberto Barbera threatens to quit, he is perpetuating the notion that selecting films by female filmmakers involves lowering standards,” the European Women's Audiovisual Network said in a biting open letter. “Sorry, but we don’t buy this anymore.”