Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch on France’s #MeToo Movement, Women Representation and Political Protests: It’s a ‘Great Moment of Transformation’

Cannes Film Festival president Iris Knobloch kicked off her mandate last year with a banner edition that saw the premieres of Oscar-winners “The Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall.”

Ever since, Knobloch — who is the former boss of WarnerMedia France and Germany — has been discreetly collaborating with festival director Thierry Frémaux to lure U.S. studios and talent on the Croisette. And while the film business’ state of mind is rather gloomy, Cannes opened on a vibrant note Tuesday night with a tribute to Meryl Streep, who hadn’t been at Cannes since “A Cry in the Dark,” for which she won best actress in 1989. The ceremony also celebrated “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig, who is presiding over the competition jury.

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In an interview with Variety at the start of the festival, a cheerful Knobloch said the presence of Gerwig, Streep and “Call My Agent!” star Camille Cottin (who emceed the ceremony) reflected her desire to see greater representation of women from different disciplines at the festival. Knobloch also addressed the ongoing #MeToo reckoning and the festival’s stance toward current political turmoils such as the war in Gaza, and she and Fremaux’s efforts to organize an edition that people will remember for its selection rather than its controversies.

Last year, when we spoke, you said you wanted to encourage a greater representation of women at the festival. Do you feel that it has improved?

I knew it had to be a priority for me, and now I feel it even more. I think the festival really had to wait 75 years for a woman to be here. And in today’s world, I realize that it’s a very important subject to address. A lot of progress has been made. For example, the percentage of films submitted to the short film category is much higher than the percentage of films submitted to the competition. The same goes for the movies that come from film schools. So we’re starting to feel that women are more daring and more confident, and we’re also maybe entrusting them more because it goes both ways. But at the same time, I’m sure you’ve read this study in Hollywood which says that despite the success of “Barbie,” women seldom have access to big budgets. Obviously, with everything that’s happening around #MeToo, I’m convinced that we want to see and hear women’s stories. We saw it with “Barbie,” so anything I can do in the future to really put the spotlight on women, to give women a greater voice, is a clear priority for me right now.

How much can you do without having any direct impact on the selection?

I think it’s a state of mind that you put into the whole organization, and it’s translated in so many places. I think the opening ceremony with Meryl Streep, Greta Gerwig and Camille Cottin was really inspiring. We’re really in a dream team of women of all generations, from legends to new stars, to young French talents who have succeeded in Hollywood and in France. I spoke with Justine Triet when I was in Los Angeles for the Oscars, and she said the success that she’s had with “Anatomy of a Fall” has changed her own perception of herself as a woman, of what she’s capable of and how she feels about herself. But also, she told me about a lot of women who were inspired by her. And I think that’s very uplifting. On a personal note, last year, it really struck and touched me that so many women I didn’t even know came up to me to say, “We’re so happy you’re here.”

Thierry Frémaux said that you both had decided to host a festival without polemics this year after a tumultuous edition. What did he mean by that?  

We were very careful not to choose films or recipients in the festival where we knew there might be a question or situation that could become a controversy, because our aim is always to keep cinema in the spotlight. And so far, there’s no controversy about his selection.

France took longer than the U.S. to embrace the #MeToo movement. Why do you think so? 

The only explanation is that there had to be one or two or three people who had the courage to speak out. For reasons I can’t explain, it took much longer in France than in the U.S. for women to dare to speak out, and maybe it also took longer for women to be heard. We’re catching up a little later, and it’s not even just a French issue.

What do you see as the many differences between France’s #MeToo compared with the way it took shape in the U.S.? 

News that isn’t news is being spread, not by responsible, professional people. And I don’t think, at the time when #MeToo took off, we had this phenomenon in the United States. I don’t remember it coming from there. I’m not sure it serves those who are really concerned best because it becomes a fog all around these women. I don’t want it to erase those who are really concerned and who really need to be heard.

With that said, do you feel that #MeToo has had a positive impact on French society? 

Yes, because it has created an awareness in France and in the industry as a whole, which is very important. It’s clear that we’re living through a great moment of transformation. Yes, it’s important because I think women will be seen differently once all this has happened. While I think it’s a fairly complicated time for everyone, I really believe we have to go through this for the image of women to change too.

As a female president, you’ve surely had to face more adversity than if you were a man, right?

I can confirm that. You really have to prove why you’re there, and I don’t think that’s expected of a man. A man is appointed and it’s clear why he’s appointed. A woman has to prove that it was worth appointing her.

Why do you think Venice Film Festival can get away with selecting movies by Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, and Cannes can’t?

Cannes has always been a place where people felt this kind of freedom of expression to take a stand.

Cannes gave a platform to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy a couple years ago, and yet you’ve decided to take a backseat in addressing the war in Gaza and the Israeli hostages. Why is that?

I think it’s important to remember that the festival’s mission is to defend a single cause: the festival itself. And of course, we deplore the tragedies that happen all over the world. And unfortunately, there are so many tragedies that it’s hard to do much about them. And for me, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a place for debate on the subject, but the festival itself remains and must focus on what it’s about, which is cinema.

Do you think the jury will argue over politics this year?

On the contrary. They don’t really want to talk about anything but cinema and they don’t want the spotlight to be on their political views, but rather on their roles on the Cannes jury. I think that’s great because at Cannes, the strongest political expression will always be the one on screen.

Did you play a role in getting Greta Gerwig to serve as jury president?

It was a discussion between Thierry and me, and then Greta was contacted. And I couldn’t be happier that it was her. She personifies what’s important to me for the festival: Youth, being a woman, being able to reinvent the codes of cinema, her ability to navigate between films and Hollywood. She embodies all that so well, and I find her presence inspiring.

It seems that U.S. companies are tightening their purse strings and not sending as many people. Are you worried about the state of the U.S. market and the impact of the double strike?

Hollywood, as I know it, has always gone through cycles. Today, we’re clearly in a cycle where a lot of questions are being asked, yet I also have the feeling that the appeal of Cannes remains and that when they come, they come in numbers. It’s clear that the world has changed. But I think it’s mostly a reflection of our society and the world.

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