CANNES, France — The head of the Cannes Film Festival has defended the latest edition’s film selection after criticism that the lineup remains male-dominated despite the festival featuring “Thelma and Louise” on its official poster.

Festival director Thierry Frémaux said Monday there was “absolutely no point” in selecting the poster image of Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon from the 1991 film “Thelma and Louise” as a symbolic attempt to project a feminist image.

“There is absolutely no point at which we’re choosing Geena Davis or Susan Sarandon or Ridley Scott’s film for the poster in order to supposedly give ourselves a feminist image,” Frémaux told reporters.

This year, only five of the 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or are directed by women, slightly lower than seven out of 22 in the previous year.

Feminist collective 50/50 Collective criticized the festival, accusing organizers of “feminism washing” by using imagery of female empowerment while maintaining a gender imbalance in its competition lineup.

The group signed a charter with the festival in 2018 aimed at promoting equality in the film industry.

Frémaux, however, said the charter does not impose selection quotas and emphasized that juries and governing bodies are gender-balanced.

“At no point does this charter mention parity in selection. Under no circumstances should there be a quota policy,” he said, adding that if a choice arises between films of equal merit, preference would go to a female-directed work.

“If we are hesitating between two films… and that hesitation is between a film by a male director and a film by a female director, we will choose the film by the female director,” he said.

According to organizers, women directors account for 34 percent of feature films in the official selection this year. When short films are included, the share rises to 38 percent.

Frémaux said representation is improving but remains insufficient.

“The figures show that things are moving forward, that it’s slow, that it’s not enough,” he said, adding: “We need a more feminine cinema so that… the issue of seeing the world from a female perspective… is more present in the world of film.”

French newspaper Le Monde also criticized the festival’s gender record in a report titled: “Women on the poster, but still on the sidelines.”

Over its 79-year history, only three women have won the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, most recently French director Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall” in 2023.

The festival opens Tuesday and runs until May 23.