Venice Fest 2018 lineup: Where are all the women?

The annual Venice Film Festival has unleashed its full 2018 lineup ahead of the event’s kick off on August 29, offering a window into some of the major cinematic hits that’ll set the stage for awards season – and so the cycle continues. The festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera revealed the roster today in Rome in what is being described as the “best lineup ever”, announcing some smashing hits as well as some stirring surprises. While there certainly are a number of star-studded flicks headed to the Italian film fest (and several that could easily be accused of Oscar-baiting), there’s a hole in the lineup made all the more glaring by the industry’s focus on gender diversity in the post-MeToo era. That hole is the severe lack of female filmmakers. Yes, the upcoming edition of Venice Film Festival has nearly completely shut women out of its Competition lineup, with only one female director (Jennifer Kent) chosen in a slate of 21 films. Meanwhile, among the 60 films picked as part of the festival’s Official Selection, only eight were directed by women. “Other female filmmakers represented on the slate include Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Mary Harron, Sarah Marx, and Margherita Ferri,” noted IndieWire. This is not all that surprising, as the annual event has averaged just one female selection in around 18 to 22 movies over the past six years. And this isn’t down to a lack of submissions either. At the 2018 announcement press conference, Paolo Baratta, the president of the festival, noted that “21% of submissions were female, which reveals that a problem exists. The problem exists, but where does it exist? We need to make sure that women have the tools and opportunity to make films.” This year more than ever a spotlight has been shone on the major festival players including Berlinale, Sundance, and Cannes following the Hollywood sexual harassment scandal, which has led to an increased focus on gender parity within the industry. And while there is progress being made, lineups such as the one presented by Venice fest show there’s still a long way to go. That’s not to say there aren’t a number of movies added to the list with female-led casts (we’re looking at you, Suspiria) and some exciting new stories heading to the big screens of Venice – it just would’ve been nice to see a few more female filmmakers behind these stories too. While we’re here, let’s look at the lineup and see who has been accepted by this elite Hollywood event – below you’ll find our top picks and underneath is the full lineup.

The Nightingale

Director: Jennifer Kent. Let’s start with the only female director in Competition, shall we? The Australian filmmaker returns with a followup to her epic psychological horror The Babadook with a gothic period thriller that looks set to be just as harrowing. Based on betrayal, revenge, and violence, Sam Claflin, Damon Herriman, and Aisling Franciosi star in this 19th century-set story about an Irish convict who chases a British officer through the Tasmanian wilderness, as she seeks revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past. The film reached theaters after its Venice premiere and later appeared on streaming platforms.

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs

Directors: The Coen Brothers. The biggest a-ha in the lineup announcement came in the shape of the Coen Brothers’ new venture. Surprise! Turns out The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs is going to be a film, a decision that has changed since the announcement earlier this year that it would be a Netflix anthology series. The Western drama telling various stories will be riding straight into Oscar season, with Tim Blake Nelson starring as the eponymous Scruggs. It arrived as a Netflix feature, and in 2025 Tim Blake Nelson voiced interest in a possible prequel, though any follow-up would depend on the Coens.

First Man

Director: Damien Chazelle. The film later won an Oscar for visual effects, and Chazelle has directed multiple features since.

Progress at Venice Since 2018

The 81st edition in 2024 placed six women-directed films in the 21-film competition slate, with one title featuring two female directors. The 82nd edition in 2025 kept that pace, with reports placing six to eight women-directed titles in competition. The shift from a single female director in 2018 to these later numbers marks a measurable change in selection patterns at the Lido.

Festival Gender Parity Initiatives

Venice signed onto a gender parity protocol around 2018-2019, aligning with steps taken at Cannes and other major events. The festival also began releasing regular gender statistics on submissions and selections, giving programmers and observers clearer data on where the pipeline narrows.

Broader Industry Context in 2025-2026

Women directed 13 percent of the top 100 grossing films in 2025, a figure that matched some of the lowest marks since 2018. Broader tracking of narrative features placed the average closer to seven films by women against thirteen by men in recent festival cycles. The contrast shows festival gains at Venice have outpaced movement in the commercial mainstream and parts of the independent sector.

Long-Term Impact on Female Filmmakers

Studies tracking festival premieres indicate that female-directed titles perform at least as well as male-directed ones in critical and audience response. Yet funding rounds and distribution deals remain harder to close for those same projects once the festival circuit ends. The visibility Venice now offers has helped some careers advance, though the data still points to persistent gaps in resources once the lights come down.

The 2018 numbers provided a clear baseline, and the later editions show how the conversation moved from complaint to tracked outcomes. Venice’s steps on parity and statistics give programmers a working record to consult, even as wider industry numbers remind everyone that selection gains at one event do not automatically fix funding or release patterns elsewhere. The Lido’s shift from one woman in competition to six or more in recent years offers a concrete example of what consistent attention and public data can produce, while the slower numbers in top-grossing releases keep the larger picture in view.