Let’s climb,” said Cate Blanchett, the president of this year’s festival jury. After leading the group of women down the carpet, Blanchett stood at the top to read a statement alongside director ​Agnès Varda, who translated the remarks into French. ​In her speech, Blanchett said ​82 women were on the steps because that is the “number of female directors who have climbed these stairs” since Cannes’ inception in 1946. Filmmakers, actresses and producers hold hands after Cate Blanchett read a statement on the red carpet in protest of the lack of female filmmakers honored throughout the history of the Cannes festival. And it’s fortunate.​​”Actresses and filmmakers march up the stairs of Cannes' red carpet in an act of solidarity on Saturday.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 12, 2018 21:00 UTC