Studios are scared of women: Jodie Foster

Hollywood's current obsession with big-budget "tentpoles" is holding the movie business back when it comes to creating more films by and for women, actress-filmmaker Jodie Foster said at the ongoing 69th annual Cannes Film Festival.

"They'll make enormous movies tentpole films and they'll be all in, kind of like a casino bet. That's a really dangerous bet," Foster said at variety.com and Kering's 'Women in Motion' talk here on Thursday.

"Studio executives are scared, period. This is the most risk averse time that I can remember in movie history," she added.

In this climate of fear, executives are more likely to lean on what is familiar.

"You're going to go with the guy that looks like you," she said.

Foster, whose film "Money Monster" will be premiered at the film fest, believes that things have improved. Not only are more women directing movies or editing films, but the sets have become more professional as they grow more diverse.

"I saw the faces change as time went on," Foster said.

"Everything changed when women came onto sets... It felt more like a family... Movie sets became healthier," she added.

The film will release in India by Sony Pictures on May 15.

--IANS

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