Alia Shawkat
Since 2011, the year the
Women's Tales series was launched with films by
Lucrecia Martel and
Zoe Cassavetes,
Miu Miu and Giornate degli Autori, in a marriage of true minds, have renewed their vows in Venice every year, in the name of women's creativity. This year we're up to #17 and #18, with
Hailey Gates and
Lynne Ramsay being honored. In fact, one glance at the honor roll of these short tales that reinvent themselves every time and you could chart the rise of a generation of women filmmakers who are changing the history of film. From the pioneer
Agnès Varda, who led the way with her unabashed joie de vivre and narrative verve, to
Ava DuVernay; from the fresh voices of the Middle East (such as
Hiam Abbass and
Haifaa al-Mansour, who is in the running for the Golden Lion this year), to Cannes revelations
Naomi Kawase and
Alice Rohrwacher, the latter of whom gazes at us from the Giornate poster this year, the list is long and includes glamorous talent of the likes of
Chloë Sevigny and
Dakota Fanning, and top-notch directors such as
Celia Rowlson-Hall,
Miranda July or
Giada Colagrande, to whom the success of our program owes much. Still, the
Miu Miu Women's Tales series would make no sense without its occasions for dialogue, like the talks conducted every year by a superb journalist such as
Penny Martin. The talks will be held at the
Hotel Excelsior, in the space lent to Giornate by the
Veneto Region, to whom we offer our heartfelt thanks.With the Venice Film Festival running eleven days, the decision to devote three of those to the voices of women's creativity means that the topic is not just an add-on but a deep-seated value that guides our sensibility in our selection process; and it's a battle for equality, which isn't shouted from the rooftops or headline fodder yet is very much in tune with the times. The brainchild of
Miuccia Prada, this project became a reality thanks to the commitment of many individuals we wish to thank. It's a project sure to leaves its mark on the future, too, since it has never been a "bachelor machine": each time it has taken on the unique guise of the two artists invited to take part, global cultural figures who have never failed to surprise, and women who don't need to defend their own femininity, but champion it as a value in absolute terms. They bring a fresh perspective to our world and don't get a leg up because they are women: they succeed through the power of their own energy and originality. Which women filmmakers will be behind the hashtags #19 and 20? We can't wait to find out.
