Director Nandita Das and Manto actress Rasika Dugal joined 82 women from the world of cinema in a silent protest against gender gap at the Cannes Film Festival

BOMBAY TIMES (May 14, 2018)

Filmmaker Nandita Das and her Manto actor Rasika Dugal joined Hollywood A-listers Jane Fonda, Kirsten Stewart, Ava DuVernay and Salma Hayek to protest against the lack of female representation at the Cannes Film Festival, on Saturday. The initiative was spearheaded by French cinema gender equality movement Collectif 5050x2020. An entertainment website said that the organisers’ aim was to highlight the hurdles faced by women to climb the social and professional ladder in the film industry. A total of 82 women from the world of cinema climbed the steps leading to the festival’s Theatre Debussy, paused and stood motionless and silent. Since the launch of the festival, only 82 films directed by women have been awarded by an official selection in competition, compared to 1,645 films directed by men.