Academy award winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, has been named president of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival jury. An honor and role, which makes him the first Mexican artist to helm over such position.
Inarritu, since 2000 after the premier of his movie ‘Amores Perros’ at Cannes, has been a regular attendee with featuring films that goes into the good books of the film festival. He disclosed of his new achievement, “Cannes is a festival that has been important to me since the beginning of my career. I am humbled and thrilled to return this year with the immense honor of presiding over the jury.”
Devoting himself to the newly appointed role, he added, “Cinema runs through the veins of the planet, and this festival has been its heart. We on the jury will have the privilege to witness the new and excellent work of fellow filmmakers from all over the planet. This is a true delight and a responsibility that we will assume with passion and devotion.”
Due to his unmatched artistic direction in cinema, he is recognized by Festival de Cannes president, Pierre Lescure and Thierry Fremaux, General Delegate, as a daring filmmaker, whom they are delighted to have on board this year. They said in a statement, “It is very rare for Alejandro G. Inarritu to agree to take part in a jury and this is the first time that the Festival de Cannes Jury is to be chaired by a Mexican artist. Not only is he a daring filmmaker and a director who is full of surprises, Alejandro is also a man of conviction, an artist of his time. We are always happy to have him.”
In 2006, Inarritu won the best director award at the film festival with the drama feature film ‘Babel’. In 2010 also, star actor Javier Bardmen, for the director’s Cannes participating film ‘Biutiful’ won the best actor prize and later scored an Oscar nomination. Last seen at the festival was in 2017, where he premiered ‘Carne y Arena’, which was described by Lescure and Fremaux as a work that addressed the issue of migration with great strength and humanity.
‘The Revenant’ film director will take over from Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett, who presided over the jury last year for the 71st Cannes. The film festival is slated from May 14 to 25.
