Nowhere are the trends set for film's future more than at Cannes, and with such a burden on the French festival one would hope for more progressive gender representation, but yet again this year is a disappointment with only three women directors out of the twenty-one directors in the main competition. This is not completely the festival's fault, as the film industry's long history of excluding women from directorial roles has preserved the staggering male-to-female ratios we still see today, but one way or another we all hope to see Cannes leading the way to a more equal future.
For my puzzle in the wake of Cannes I have chosen to shine a more positive light on the festival, whether it deserves it or not, focusing on the baby steps that the festival has taken for women by electing them to be Jury Presidents. Four long Across answers (20, 25, 48 and 53) are women who have headed Cannes juries, and the crossword is speckled with many other great women in film and Cannes history. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before we can refer to four women who have won the Palme d'Or (and I'm not counting Léa Seydoux or Adèle Exarchopoulos).