Lebanese actress, screenwriter and director Nadine Labaki will chair the jury of Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Founded in 1978, Un Certain Regard runs parallel to the Official Competition and is known for its original and daring films, usually made by little-known directors. The jury look for new ways of story-telling with film. As jury chair, Nadine Labaki succeeds Benicio Del Toro, who in 2018 awarded Best Film to Danish director Ali Abbasi’s Border.
The Lebanese director is a regular at the Cannes festival, since her three feature films have been shown in three different sections. In 2004 she was awarded a Cinéfondation residency to work on her film project Caramel, which she presented three years later in the Directors’ Fortnight. Her latest film, Capharnaüm, received the Jury Prize of the official competition last year. Shown in many festivals, it has been well received by the public.
Following the announcement by the organisers of the Cannes Festival, Nadine Labaki commented on her appointment as president of the jury. “I remember coming to Cannes as a film student, so eager to discover the most prestigious festival in the world! Back then this world seemed inaccessible. I remember getting up early and queueing for hours to get a ticket. Fifteen years later, as if it were yesterday, I was nervously filling-in the admission sheet for the Cinéfondation. Hope mixed with self-doubt. Today, here I am chair of the jury of Un Certain Regard: life sometimes brings more than dreams! I can’t wait to see the selected films, I can’t wait to discuss, exchange ideas, to be shaken, to find inspiration as I discover the work of other artists.”
Sources: https://www.lorientlejour.com, https://www.lemonde.fr
