Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong to join Cannes film festival jury: organisers

AFP | Cannes

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American actor Halle Berry and “Succession” star Jeremy Strong are set to serve on the jury at the Cannes film festival this year that will be headed by French actress Juliette Binoche, organisers announced on Monday.

Berry and Strong will be joined by best-selling Franco-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani, Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia and Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher on what will be a women-majority judging panel.

The jury will also include South Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo, Mexican director Carlos Reygadas, and Democratic Republic of Congo documentary maker Dieudo Hamadi.

They will be responsible for watching the 21 films in competition this year and awarding the prestigious Palme d’Or at the end of the 78th edition of the festival, which takes place from May 13-24.

The women-majority jury is significant because organisers are under pressure to give a greater platform to women filmmakers and show they are serious about tackling gender inequality and sexual harassment.

President Iris Knobloch has promised that the festival will be “attentive” to the recommendations of a hard-hitting parliamentary inquiry into #MeToo abuses in the film industry which reported its findings earlier this month.

Only seven of the films in the main competition have been made by women directors, the joint highest total. Australian actor Nicole Kidman is set to receive the 10th Women in Motion Award at this year’s festival, which honours individuals who “advance the role of women in cinema and in society”, organisers also announced Monday.

A little-known French woman director Amelie Bonnin was given the honour of opening the festival on May 13 with her debut feature “Leave One Day”, which is the first time a debut film will start the world’s most prestigious film festival.