Glamorous Venice Film Festival courts controversy

The letter was a reaction not just to the festival's male-centric selection but also to statements by Barbera, who in a recent press conference explained that he made his choices based on "the quality of the film and not the sex of the director".

Isn't he right? Shouldn't we focus on the quality of the film instead of directors gender? This whole gender equality issue is getting out of hand.

Regarding "A Star is Born," I can't imagine anyone performing the role better than Barbra Streisand, but on the other hand I have a lot of admiration and respect for Lady Gaga. Wait and see, I guess.

Just out of curiosity, are there any films at Venice from East Asia? I know that in the past there have been some really, really good films from Asia, so why no mention of any this year?

Agree, the only criteria is the quality of the film.