I’ve seen Mia Hansen-Løve‘s “One Fine Morning,” and wasn’t too taken by it. It’s a familiar and simple story about a woman (Lea Seydoux) who embarks on an affair with a married man. The film plays in a very sweet gentle way, but when the credits roll you just ask yourself, “Okay, nothing special.”
Cannes hasn’t been the most receptive with her films. And yet, she submitted “Bergman Island” to Venice in 2020, was rejected, and then Cannes picked it up for its 24-film competition during last year’s edition.
In an interview with Variety, Hansen-Løve admits that three of her last four films were rejected by the festival.
It’s clear that the [Cannes] competition isn’t dazzling for its track record with female directors. We’d like to see more of them in 2022. Sometimes, there’s an impression, from the outside, that the competition is reserved to male directors, and Un Certain Regard is for women. I’ve heard that I was considered a Cannes regular, but that’s not accurate. Cannes has refused three out of four films directed by me. I hadn’t been in Cannes in 12 years when I presented “Bergman Island” in competition. The last time was with “Le père de mes enfants,” which played at Un Certain Regard.
I know two of those films were “Maya,” and “Things to Come,” not too sure about the third one.