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Davis, who starred in the cult classic "Thelma
and Louise" with Susan Sarandon, criticized the Hollywood gender
gap from the red carpet of the festival, where she was promoting
her new documentary "This Changes Everything" on gender
inequality.
"I think I heard today that in France it's 24% are female
directors, and in the United States only 4%. I mean, 24 is not
good enough either, but 4% is an embarrassment," she told
reporters on Tuesday.
The documentary, produced by Davis and directed by Tom Donahue,
features interviews with Hollywood actors including Meryl Streep,
Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain and Tiffany Haddish, and
examines gender discrimination in the media and entertainment
industry.
The festival for American cinema in France's western seaside
town paid tribute to the 63-year-old's acting career, which was
launched by the 1982 film "Tootsie." Six years later, she won an
Academy Award for her role in "The Accidental Tourist."
Davis said the #MeToo movement, which has helped women speak out
about sexual violence and revealed the prevalence of sexual
harassment and attacks against women around the world, has made
an impact in Hollywood.
She said that earlier in her career female actors were
discouraged from speaking out by being told there would always
be someone else willing to take their roles.
Davis, who also founded the nonprofit research group the Geena
Davis Institute on Gender in Media, recently revealed that she
was once forced to sit on a director's lap for a romantic scene
during an audition.
(Reporting by Kathryn Carlson in Paris; Editing by Leigh Thomas
and Matthew Lewis)
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