Cate Blanchett slams #MeToo's fading impact at Cannes 2026
At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Cate Blanchett criticised the rapid decline of the #MeToo movement. She questioned why the voices of ordinary women who spoke out were quickly silenced. The actress also highlighted ongoing gender inequality in the film industry, despite women making up half the global population.
Julianne Moore joined the discussion, sharing her own experiences of male-dominated film sets. Both women reflected on the slow progress since their high-profile protest at Cannes eight years earlier. In 2018, Blanchett led a powerful women’s march at Cannes, holding hands with 81 other women—one for each female director who had ever competed at the festival. Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux stood alongside her. The demonstration called for greater gender equality in cinema.
At this year’s festival, Blanchett admitted that little has changed. She still finds herself on sets where men vastly outnumber women, creating an imbalance of power. The #MeToo movement, she argued, exposed systemic abuse far beyond Hollywood—yet its momentum was lost too soon.
Moore echoed these concerns, recalling a set where she and one other woman were the only females present, aside from the actors. Both actresses stressed that the industry’s lack of diversity persists, despite years of public debate and activism. The 2026 Cannes discussions brought renewed attention to gender inequality in film. Blanchett and Moore’s remarks underscored how the #MeToo movement’s early impact has faded. Their comments also revealed that, years after their 2018 protest, film sets remain overwhelmingly male-dominated.
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