Nicole Kidman laments ‘incredibly low' number of women-directed films
Australian megastar Nicole Kidman expressed disappointment Sunday over the 'incredibly low' number of successful films directed by women, despite ongoing efforts to support and mentor female-led projects.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival as she received the Kering Women in Motion award, Kidman highlighted the persistent gender gap in the film industry.
"The number of women-made films among the highest-grossing is incredibly low," she said.
In 2017, Kidman pledged to work with at least one female director every 18 months, citing a lack of choice at the time.
'You would go, 'OK, could a woman direct this?' There just wasn't a number of names that you could consider,' she noted.
Since then, the Oscar-winning actress has collaborated with 27 female directors—far exceeding her original pledge, averaging one every 3.5 months.
Of the 22 films competing in Cannes' main competition this year, only seven are directed by women.
Kidman also praised Mascha Schilinski's 'The Sound of Falling,' a German-language drama exploring intergenerational trauma among women on a farm. The film has emerged as an early critics' favourite.
'To have Sound of Falling heard on the world stage—that's fantastic,' she said.
While Kidman ruled out writing a full script herself, she revealed that she often wakes up at 3:00 a.m. to write personal reflections.
'It's a very ripe time for things to happen because you're in that slightly removed state from reality,' she explained. 'I wake up and I'll write something—be it a dream, or something circulating in my mind.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Weekly
2 days ago
- Gulf Weekly
Trading love
Romantic comedy film Materialists is out now in theatres. Starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, the film follows failed-actress-turned-successful-matchmaker Lucy Mason, who finds herself in a love triangle between her ex-boyfriend, John, an aspiring actor played by Chris Evans, and a charming millionaire, Harry, portrayed by Pedro Pascal. Directed by South Korean-Canadian born filmmaker Celine Song, Materialists is her second film to be released following Past Lives (2023), which earned an Oscar nomination in 2024 for best picture and best original screenplay. Celine, who is also the screenwriter, said she wanted to explore relationships across the class divide and what she describes as the 'transactional nature of dating in New York' based on her observations, as she was once a matchmaker for six months. 'I think that I learned more about people in those six months than I did in any other part of my life,' Celine said. 'I wanted to talk about the way that we're being asked to objectify and commodify each other and ourselves, even when it comes to matters of the heart, matters of love, and I think that I was really shocked while I was working as a matchmaker by how we were talking about what we were looking for in dating. 'Dating is, of course, a game we play in search of love and love itself is an ancient mystery, a great miracle. 'It's something entirely worth the trouble and the risk and none of these numbers are going to be able to help us get there,' she added.
Gulf Weekly
31-07-2025
- Gulf Weekly
Sizzling steaks to devour at InterContinental
InterContinental Bahrain continues to tempt steak lovers this season with a trio of sizzling specials at Legendz SteakHouse, combining premium cuts, bold flavours and a refined dining experience that's hard to resist. For a truly indulgent midweek treat, guests can savour the Château Briand Night, where a generous 400gm tenderloin is paired with truffle-infused mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and a rich red grape reduction. The experience is rounded off with a complimentary glass of grape per guest, making it the perfect evening for those who appreciate fine food and elegant company. The offer is priced at BD32 for two guests and runs every Thursday from 7pm to 11pm. On Tuesdays, Tenderloin Paillard Night offers a lighter, yet equally satisfying option. Diners can enjoy a tender grilled paillard with sautéed mushrooms, accompanied by a choice of crispy pommes frites or a fresh green salad. Optional add-ons like grilled shrimp or roasted vegetables allow guests to customise their plate to taste. The special is served every Tuesday from 6pm to 10pm, priced at BD14net. Steak enthusiasts can wrap up the week with Flank Steak Saturday, showcasing a premium Australian flank steak grilled to perfection. Guests can mix and match their two chosen sides, and select from three sauces: chimichurri, béarnaise or peppercorn. Served every Saturday from 6pm to 10pm, this hearty dish is available for BD15net. For more information or reservations, call 36967701.
Daily Tribune
30-07-2025
- Daily Tribune
AI bands signal new era for music business
A rising tide of artificial intelligence (AI) bands is ushering in a new era where work will be scarcer for musicians. Whether it's Velvet Sundown's 1970s-style rock or country music projects "Aventhis" and "The Devil Inside," bands whose members are pure AI creations are seeing more than a million plays on streaming giant Spotify. No major streaming service clearly labels tracks that come entirely from AI, except France's Deezer. Meanwhile, the producers of these songs tend to be unreachable. "I feel like we're at a place where nobody is really talking about it, but we are feeling it," said music producer, composer and performer Leo Sidran. "There is going to be a lot of music released that we can't really tell who made it or how it was made." The Oscar-winning artist sees the rise of AI music as perhaps a sign of how "generic and formulaic" genres have become. AI highlights the chasm between music people listen to "passively" while doing other things and "active" listening in which fans care about what artists convey, said producer and composer Yung Spielburg on the Imagine AI Live podcast. Spielburg believes musicians will win out over AI with "active" listeners but will be under pressure when it comes to tunes people play in the background while cooking dinner or performing mundane tasks. If listeners can't discern which tunes are AI-made, publishers and labels will likely opt for synthetic bands that don't earn royalties, Spielburg predicted. "AI is already in the music business and it's not going away because it is cheap and convenient," said Mathieu Gendreau, associate professor at Rowan University in New Jersey, who is also a music industry executive. "That will make it even more difficult for musicians to make a living." Music streaming platforms already fill playlists with mood music attributed to artists about whom no information can be found, according to University of Rochester School of Music professor Dennis DeSantis. Meanwhile, AI-generated soundtracks have become tempting, cost-saving options in movies, television shows, ads, shops, elevators and other venues, DeSantis added. AI takes all? Composer Sidran says he and his music industry peers have seen a sharp slowdown in work coming their way since late last year. "I suspect that AI is a big part of the reason," said Sidran, host of "The Third Story" podcast. "I get the feeling that a lot of the clients that would come to me for original music, or even music from a library of our work, are using AI to solve those problems." Technology has repeatedly helped shape the music industry, from electric guitars and synthesizers to multi-track recording and voice modulators. Unlike such technologies that gave artists new tools and techniques, AI could lead to the "eradication of the chance of sustainability for the vast majority of artists," warned George Howard, a professor at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. "AI is a far different challenge than any other historical technological innovation," Howard said. "And one that will likely be zero-sum." Howard hopes courts will side with artists in the numerous legal battles with generative AI giants whose models imitate their styles or works. Gendreau sees AI music as being here to stay and teaches students to be entrepreneurs as well as artists in order to survive in the business. Sidran advises musicians to highlight what makes them unique, avoiding the expected in their works because "AI will have done it."
