Nicole Kidman honoured at Cannes Film Festival for championing female directors

Australia Broadcast Center

19-05-2025

In 2017, Oscar-winning actor Nicole Kidman made a public declaration that she would work with a female director every 18 months.
In the eight years since, Kidman has exceeded that pledge, having worked with 27 female directors to date, including projects in development.
In recognition of her efforts, the Australian actor has picked up the 2025 Women in Motion award from luxury conglomerate Kering at the Cannes Film Festival.
Kering has joined forces with the festival for the past decade to recognise a groundbreaking woman in film each year as part of the Women in Motion program which highlights the contribution made by women on and off the screen in culture and the arts.
Of her pledge, Kidman told Kering that she was determined to "make it possible".
"You would go, 'Okay, cool, well, could a woman direct this?' And there just wasn't the number of names that you could consider."
Kidman said first-time directors, in particular, were seen as a risk that people were reluctant to take.
"So, I went, I have to start to just say, well, this is how I'm doing it, and this is what I'm doing, and we'll take the risk, and we're going to mentor, and support, and help, and then really protect, because part of it is protecting and surrounding the women with, almost like, a force field of protection and support, so that they can do their best work," Kidman said.
"And then at the same time giving them the opportunity to not feel like this is the only chance, because a lot of it is 'okay you get one shot', which as we know creatively is almost impossible."
She said opportunities need to continue regardless of whether a project has taken off.
"It just means you're in process, and we need to support the long process of building the female voices, particularly the directors and the writers, and then also all of the crew members."
When announcing two weeks ago that Kidman would receive the award, Kering referred to the Australian actor's storytelling as "bold" and "uncompromising".
"A major figure in cinema, Nicole Kidman has built a career marked as much by her artistic audacity as by her virtuosity and transformative portrayals that have reshaped the representation of women on screen," Kering posted on Instagram.
"From Eyes Wide Shut and The Hours to Big Little Lies and Babygirl, her work reflects a deep commitment to bold, uncompromising storytelling."
Kidman won an Academy Award in 2002 for her portrayal of Virginia Wolf in The Hours. She founded a production company called Blossom Films in 2010.