Christina Jeurling Birro – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Women @ Cannes FF 2026 – Christina Jeurling-Birro reports

April 22, 2026April 26, 2026 Christina Jeurling Birro Cannes Film Festival 2026, Marie Kreutzer, palme d'or, Park Chan Wook, Thierry Frémaux, Valeska Grisebach

There’s always a sense of Christmas morning excitement when Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux unveils the festival’s lineup. The 79th edition of the festival feels especially electric, blending new discoveries with an auteur-driven selection. This year’s lineup includes works by Pedro Almodóvar, Pawel Pawlikowski, Ira Sachs, Asghar Farhadi, and new films from previous Palme d’Or winners Cristian Mungiu and Hirokazu Kore-eda. The 2026 festival leans heavily on international cinema. There are no blockbusters on the slate but the program showcases a fascinating mix of genres, including musicals, sci-fi, and horror. Out of the 22 films announced so far in competition, five are directed by women. 24% of the lineup, a slight dip from last year. However, in the Un Certain Regard section, more than half (8 out of 11 films) are directed by women.

Festivals

FALL FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2025 – Christina Jeurling Birro reports

July 29, 2025August 3, 2025 Christina Jeurling Birro Agnieszka Holland, chloe zhao, fall film festivals, Kaouther Ben Hania, kathryn bigelow, laura poitras, Mona Fastvold, nia dacosta, scarlett johansson, sofia coppola, toronto international film festival, Venice International Film Festival

Bigelow’s back, Zhao tackles Shakespeare, and More as the fall film festivals unveil their lineups. The fall film festival season kicks off on the Lido in Venice in less than a month, then rolls on from the mountains of Telluride to Toronto, and beyond. This year promises a strong showing from female directors across many lineups. Here are just a few of the exciting films to keep your eyes on!

Festivals

Women @ Cannes FF 2025 – Christina Jeurling-Birro reports

April 23, 2025June 5, 2025 Christina Jeurling Birro Alice Rohrwacher, Cannes FF 2025, carla simon, Chie Hayakawa, Hafsia Herzi, Julia Ducournau, juliette binoche, june squibb, Kelly Reichardt, Kristen Stewart, lynne ramsay, Mascha Schilinski, Rebecca Zlotowski, scarlett johansson, Un Certain Regard, women at cannes

When the Cannes Film Festival opens for the 78th time on May 13, Juliette Binoche will preside over the main competition jury. A towering presence in international cinema, Binoche follows in the footsteps of another female film icon, Greta Gerwig. This marks the first time in over six decades that two women have consecutively held this prestigious role! All in all. 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for women at Cannes.

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT March 2025: Mona Fastvold, Filmmaker, Oscar Contender, THE BRUTALIST

March 1, 2025March 4, 2025 Christina Jeurling Birro best original screenplay, Brady Corbet, Christopher Abbott, female directors, female screenwriters, Mona Fastvold, oscars 2025, Sondre Lerche, spotlight, The Brutalist, The Sleepwalker, vox lux

2025 not only elevates Fastvold into Hollywood’s Oscar pantheon, this year will see the release of a new feature, a femme-centric truth-based musical biopic about Ann Lee, the leading founder of the Shaker movement, who was proclaimed the female Christ by her followers. Again, Fastvold and Brady Corbet collaborated on the script, but this time she is directing and he is credited as a producer. Amanda Seyfried stars in the titular role, and the ensemble includes Christopher Abbott and Tim Blake Nelson. Working in an equal and ongoing filmmaking partnership with Brady Corbet, Mona Fastwold is utilizing the full repertoire of her talents and skills to take full command of her career. The AWFJ March 2025 SPOTLIGHT is on Mona, and we look forward to experiencing more of the Fastvold cinematic universe!

Member News

Christina Jeruling Birro Archive

December 27, 2000February 15, 2025 Christina Jeurling Birro Christina Jeruling Birro

Pop Culture Confidential is an international interview podcast with industry professionals from film, TV, journalism, media and more. Guests on Pop Culture Confidential include: Tom Hanks, Sofia Coppola, Errol, Morris, Kenneth Branagh, Brian Cox, Pamela Adlon, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, Keke Palmer, Alicia Vikander, Padma Lakshmi, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy Strong, Arian Moayed Gloria Steinem, Paul Raci, Cynthia Nixon, John Turturro, Laura Poitras, Weird Al Yankovic, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Brian Tyree Henry, Emily Blunt, David Sedaris, Susan Sarandon, Sterling K Brown, Ted Sarandos, Henry Winkler, Damien Chazelle, Paul Feig, Kate Mulgrew and Uzo Aduba, Jean Smart, Mark Ruffalo, director Tom McCarthy, , sitcom producer Chuck Lorre, screenwriter Steven Knight, director Kirsten Johnson, legendary casting director Ellen Lewis (Goodfellas, Forrest Gump), Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Carrie Coon. Pop Culture Confidential is part of the Evergreen podcast network (USA). Pop Culture Confidential can be listened to through : @spotify @itunes and all major podcast apps.