Venice: When Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy was selected for the top competition at the Venice Film Festival in July, she stood as the sole female filmmaker among a field of 20 directors, all competing with a movie centered on the "invisibility of women." El-Toukhy remarked on the industry's regression to past inequalities, emphasizing the need for improvement.

According to France24.com, the protagonist of El-Toukhy's film, "Woman Unknown," is a bride-to-be who struggles with revealing her wartime secret, specifically her relationship with a Nazi during the German occupation of Denmark in WWII. The film portrays women accused of fraternizing with the enemy being violently punished, highlighting themes of objectification and voicelessness. The film received enthusiastic applause following its press screening.

The lack of female representation in the Venice Film Festival's top competition has raised questions about the selection process. Venice Festival director Alberto Barbera faced criticism in July for stating that the overwhelming male representation was due to insufficient submissions from women. In response, the festival later added a co-directed documentary by a woman, "NAZA," which addresses the Israeli killing of civilians in Gaza.

El-Toukhy, who has previously worked on Netflix's "The Queen," shared her experiences with gender bias in the film industry. She noted that her pitches were often dismissed as just another WWII story, despite the scarcity of narratives focusing on women's experiences during wartime. The director recounted her struggles with securing financing, a challenge she perceives as a structural issue within the industry, echoing sentiments shared by American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, this year's head of the competition jury in Venice.

Gyllenhaal questioned whether the industry undervalues stories women want to tell, reflecting on how women's unique experiences might not be considered "high art." Italian actress Jasmine Trinca expressed her alarm and anger at the gender disparity, urging for introspection and action in addressing the issue.

A study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative warned of a "Great Recession" for women directors in 2025, with only nine out of the top 100 grossing films in the U.S. being directed by women. To date, only three women-Kathryn Bigelow, Chloe Zhao, and Jane Campion-have received Oscars for Best Director.