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Women Leave Their Signature on Berlin Film Festival
2004-02-15
American movie 'Lord of the Rings: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel |
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BERLIN - Charlize Theron is in most scenes and kills seven men, Cate Blanchett is a sharp-shooting 19th century single mum outwitting men while Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger push their male co-star into a mere supporting role.At the Berlin Film Festival, which ended on Sunday, women playing strong characters in those and other productions dominated the screen, and their growing clout was also clearly evident behind the camera as directors, writers and producers. Even the jury -- four woman and three men -- was headed by a woman: Frances McDormand, who won an Oscar in 1997 for "Fargo." "It's about time," McDormand told Reuters when asked about the abundance of women in leading roles in films seen in Berlin. "It's important. It shows women are doing more writing now too. For anyone who hasn't noticed, we are an interesting gender." South Africa's Theron won a Silver Bear best actress award on Saturday for her stirring performance as a low-life Florida prostitute turned serial killer in "Monster." Blanchett eclipsed co-star Tommy Lee Jones in the American Western "The Missing." Kidman and Zellweger also outshone Jude Law in the Civil War epic "Cold Mountain," which screened out of the competition. Zellweger said in an interview there are obvious reasons why strong women are now featuring atop cinema marquees more often. "People making films are recognizing there is value in portraying female characters that way, audiences are interested and there's a market for those sorts of films," she said. "They are beautiful stories. I think things are definitely changing." STILL A MAN'S WORLD The festival, one of Europe's top three, ended on Sunday with public screenings of the competition's highlights. Eight of the 23 films competing for the festival's prizes over the last 11 days featured women in the top role and four films were directed by women, including "Monster" by Patty Jenkins and "Something's Gotta Give" by Nancy Meyers. Many other films, such as a widely applauded love story "Before Sunset" between an American novelist played by Ethan Hawke and a French environmental worker played by Julie Delpy, evenly balanced their male and female lead characters. "Any actress will tell you 'I'm tired of being the girlfriend who laughs at stupid jokes from guys'," said American director Richard Linklater in an interview. "A lot of things are are seen through a male perspective. This movie, I'm proud to say, is 50-50. Julie's character is so strong." Delpy, who also co-wrote "Before Sunset," told Reuters she believes women will ascend even further in the near future. "Definitely," Delpy said. "For example, my next project I wrote, direct and star in is a very strong role. It's so strong that some men are terrified when they read the script. It's vital for women to be more active, and show how strong women are." A Berlin entry from Taiwan called "20:30:40" about three women at those three ages focused entirely on women, leaving men with bit parts as snivelling extras, unfaithful husbands, unreliable boyfriends and unimaginative lovers. It was directed by Sylvia Chang, popular in Asia, who also starred as the 40-year-old character in the film. No one was using the term "Chick Flick" to describe it. "It seems more women live for themselves these days and try to accomplish their goals," Chang said. "But women still have to work extra hard to be accepted and fulfil their duty as a wife, mother or daughter. This is still a man's world." Yet Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick, who has won rave reviews for rejuvenating the 54-year old festival by injecting more glamour, admits he is especially fond of women in film. "My motto is 'Frau erhebt euch und die Welt erlebt euch' (Women arise and the world will experience you)," he said. "I just like working with women. They are simply more effective." Reuters
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