India, May 17 -- Hollywood star Kristen Stewart is making waves at the Cannes Film Festival with the premiere of her first feature film as a director, The Chronology of Water, set to debut Friday night. Despite the celebratory occasion, Kristen used the platform to candidly address the persistent challenges women face when stepping behind the camera - particularly when it comes to being taken seriously as directors.

Speaking at a fireside chat hosted by the nonprofit Breaking Through the Lens and moderated by Variety, the Oscar-nominated actor didn't hold back. "There's this bulls**t fallacy that you need to have experience or sort of like technical adeptness, and it's safeguarding the business. It's a real male perspective. Like, as if ...