BEV and the Women at Cannes

This year Birds Eye View took to the Croisette again and brought together some of the talented women filmmakers with work in the Cannes Film Festival (in partnership with the UK Film Council). Our programmer Fiona Fletcher gives the lowdown: “Speaking about her failed plight to return to Palestine to finish her film, debut director Annemarie Jacir ( Salt of the Sea – Un Certain Regard) had some audience members in tears. Jacir’s film tracks the journey of a Brooklyn-born waitress who travels to Ramallah and Israeli-occupied Jaffa to live in ‘her homeland’. American director and actress Teressa Tunney ( This is a Story About Ted and Alice ) and Israeli Hadar Morag ( Silence ) both took a break from the Cinefoundation (where their short films have been chosen from hundreds) to introduce themselves and their work. Morag, a recent Tel Aviv Film School graduate commented that the political unrest in her country made her feel all the more determined to become a filmmaker and express her vision to the rest of the world. Her film Silence is about an unusual relationship formed between a 12 year-old girl and a 45 year-old man – a bond shared in silence.

Bosnian Writer, Producer Elma Tataragic and Director Aida Begic of Snow (Critics Week) spoke about their struggle to be taken seriously as female filmmakers by male counterparts in their country where women wearing headscarves do not usually demand authority, especially on a film set. Their film looks at the plight of women in a country still trying to come to terms with its recent, violent past.

This year the panel was hosted by Laura MacDonald ( Filmaka , Birds Eye View). Big thanks to Laura!” #Shortfilm #Tours