Blanchett Laments #MeToo's Quick Demise

At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Cate Blanchett lamented the swift demise of the #MeToo movement, questioning why such significant progress was halted. She recalled her role as jury president in 2018, leading a women's march to highlight systemic abuse in the industry and beyond. Blanchett emphasized that identifying the problem is crucial for solving it. She noted that gender imbalance remains a reality on film sets, with a stark majority of men present daily. This homogeneity, she suggested, impacts the quality of the work produced.

Julianne Moore echoed these concerns during her own talk at Cannes, sharing an experience where she and a third assistant camera operator were the only women on set. Moore recalled this realization occurring around the time of Hillary Clinton's election loss, emphasizing the historical scarcity of women in film crews. Blanchett also referenced the 2018 protest at Cannes, where the number 82 represented the female directors who had competed, starkly contrasting with the 1,866 male directors over the same period, underscoring the ongoing challenges women face in the cinematic arts.