Venice Film Festival2020

The heads of Europe's major film festivals gathered for the opening of the Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday to show solidarity with an industry that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who chairs the jury awarding the Venice Film Festival this year, said she also wanted to show support for filmmakers who had to complete their films in challenging circumstances. In the search for gender parity, women directors make up 44% of the competition, appearing in 8 of the 18 nominations that compete for the Golden Lion.