Her name might not tell you much, but Margarethe von Trotta made history for two reasons: for writing and directing a film, Years of lead, which allowed her to tell the intimacy of two sisters and the terrorism of Germany in the seventies in a crude and sincere way, and for having been the first woman to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It was 1981, in the jury there were, among others, Italo Calvino and Marie-Christine Barrault, while the critics frowned at the biting irony of the protagonist of Sweet Dreams by Nanni Moretti who, beyond the dissent of some, still managed to take home the Silver Lion in ex aequo with They don’t wear tuxedos by the Brazilian Leon Hirszman. The triumph of a woman in the main category of Venice took place twelve years before Cannes and, unlike the Croisette, he replied, without too many proclamations, even in the following decades: in fact, also Agnes Varda, Indian director Mira Nair, Sofia Coppola and, most recently, Chloe Zhao, the first Asian to win the Oscar for best director.
Without reducing the issue to a problem of quotas – statistically there are fewer women directing films than men, and it would be interesting to understand why – it is clear that Venice’s relationship with women has always been dynamic, based on a relationship of mutual trust but, above all, based on the recognition of the purest talent. The first actress to win the Coppa Volpi for the best female performance was, needless to say, Katharine Hepburn, the only woman to have won four Oscars in Hollywood history, followed by wonderful colleagues like Bette Davis, who received the award for two films (The Bronze Man e The five slaves), her best friend Olivia de Havilland, the great Vivien Leigh, Ingrid Bergman and the silent film icon Norma Shearer. The first Italian to hold the Cup in her hands was, however, Anna Magnani in 1947: the film was The Honorable Angelina by Luigi Zampa, a story centered on a village woman who became protector of the poor in the neighborhood who moved the public and critics by carrying the actress on the palm of her hand. After her it was the turn of Sophia Loren, by Shirley McLaine, awarded for the wonderful film it is The apartment by Billy Wilder but also 28 years later for Mrs Sousatzka by John Schlesinger, by Isabelle Huppert, and ours Valeria Golino, Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Alba Rohrwacher.
Venice, however, is also synonymous with glam and beauty and that is why, for twenty years now, the Venice Film Festival has chosen to elect a godmother to help the public and the press frame the event inside of a more compact and defined frame. The first was Chiara Caselli, followed by other Italian stars such as Isabella Ragonese, Vittoria Puccini, Alessandra Mastronardi, Eva Riccobono, Claudia Gerini, Anna Foglietta, Isabella Ferrari and, lastly, Serena Rossi, and by foreign beauties such as Kasia Smutniak and Elisa Sednaoui (without forgetting the two “godparents” Alessandro Borghi and Michele Riondino). It is clear that, in festivals as well as in industry, there is still a long way to go but Venice, in this sense, has always shown itself to be open to dialogue and confrontation. In 2020, there were 8 female directors in competition (including Susanna Nicchiarelli, Emma Dante, Julia Von Heinz and Mona Fastvold), in 2021 they are half (including Jane Campion, the first woman to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Audrey Diwan), but it is also true that Venice has made us discover, in recent decades, sensational films and authors that, we are sure, will continue to amaze and shine for their genius and talent, with the hope that production companies will increasingly trust the directors and their ideas.

Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.