With Steven Spielberg already at the helm, the organisers of the Cannes Film Festival have now announced the other members of the jury who will surround him and bestow the coveted Palme d’Or and other prizes at the end of the 66th edition on 26 May.
Among a stellar array of previous Oscar and Palme d’Or winners are Ang Lee, Christoph Waltz and Nicole Kidman as well as Croisette regular Scot Lynne Ramsay.
Kidman has been gracing the Riviera recently for the biopic Grace of Monaco, in which she stars as legendary actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly. At one point it had been mooted for a competition slot but it is now slated for an end of the year opening.
Romanian director Cristian Mangiu, who won the Palme d’Or in 2007 for his controversial drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days and best screenplay for last year’s Beyond The Hills, also joins the ranks with Ramsay (Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar and We Need To Talk About Kevin premiered at the festival in 2011). She has a short film, Swimmer, in the Directors’ Fornight.
Jury duty beckons for Japanese director Naomi Kawase, winner of the Camera d’Or in the Director’s Fortnight for Suzaku in 1997, which he followed a decade later with the Cannes Grand Prix for The Mourning Forest.
Representing France is actor (and now also director) Daniel Auteuil, who received a Palme d’Or in 1996 for The Eighth Day. Bollywood star Vidya Balan represents India (the festival celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema this year) and completes the line-up.
