Ian McKellen is listening to his inner critic.

Actress Romola Garai poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Miss Marx' during the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)VENICE Theres been a lot of talk about gender parity, feminism and equality at the Venice Film Festival this year, with nearly half the in-competition films directed by women. One of them, Miss Marx, certainly backs that trend. The focus was on the dichotomy between the public activism and her public beliefs and the inconsistency with her private relationship, said Romola Garai, who plays Eleanor in the film. Having said as much, Eleanor Marx really is important.

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, actress Cate Blanchett poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'A Star Is Born' at the 75th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. The lineup for the Venice Film Festival will be announced on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, and will be the first major film event since the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Barbera noted that almost half of the competition film selections this year are directed by women. The decision to hold the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival is experienced like a sign of confidence in dnd concrete support of the world of film and the audiovisual industry, Barbera said. Cannes and Telluride were cancelled and others like Venice and the Toronto International Film Festival have had to get creative and scale back where possible in order to proceed.