Jane Campion Thinks Box Office Success of ‘Barbie’ Has Helped Female Filmmakers Be ‘Trusted with Money’

This past week, filmmaker Jane Campion was honored at Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland with the Palme d’Onore Manor , awarded to the most outstanding personalities in cinema. As reported on by Deadline , while there, she acknowledged the shift she believes has taken place since “Barbie” smashed box office records , becoming the first female-directed film to gross over a billion dollars.

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“That’s fantastic,” she said. “For once, we have a film that’s not about Marvel characters, but a humorous and very creative take on the Barbie and Mattel story. And [writer/director Greta Gerwig] is the first woman who has made a historical bundle out of it. It meant women can be trusted with money, finally.”

Earlier, Campion discussed her own struggle being one of few female directors actually being recognized in the world of cinema. She brought up a photo taken in 2017 of past Palme d’Or winners and her being the only female surrounded by a field of men, despite it being 24 years since she’d won hers for “The Piano.”

“Visually, it was a shock. I think if there were no women there, you wouldn’t even have noticed,” Campion said. “Oh, women don’t make films! But the fact there was one: you went ‘where are all the others?’ And the guys — the other directors — seemed embarrassed; we all felt something was wrong. But it’s all about power and money. At the time, it was tough. There was a feeling that women and what they were interested in was not interesting. But it’s so changed.”

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Since that photo was taken, filmmakers Julie Ducournau and Justine Triet have both received Palme d’Or’s, for “Titane” in 2021 and “Anatomy of a Fall” in 2023, respectively. Campion shared how she feels like “an auntie” to them and others. Prior to “Power of the Dog,” she had long planned on retiring, but following the film’s success, she now thinks she may have another one in her.

“I just wanted to do more yoga, but that didn’t really happen, even though I had the time,” Campion said. “And now I’ve noticed some more ideas coming up. Really surprising ones I can’t really share yet. I think I’m in a good place, to be honest. I think I’m very lucky because I know there will be money for me. People in the industry believe, maybe wrongly, that there will be another really good film. I certainly will be trying.”