The movies that will delight and disappoint have not been announced yet but it’s already guaranteed that history will be made at the 72nd Festival de Cannes this May. This morning the Festival revealed that Alejandro G. Iñárritu will be the first Mexican to hold the title of President of the Jury. Iñárritu follows last year’s Jury President, Cate Blanchett.
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In a statement from the festival, Iñárritu remarked, “Cannes is a festival that has been important to me since the beginning of my career, he has declared. I am humbled and thrilled to return this year with the immense honor of presiding over the Jury. 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.”
Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate added, “It is very rare for Alejandro G. Iñárritu 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. Cannes embraces all types of cinema, and through the presence of Babel’s director, it is Mexican cinema that the Festival will be celebrating.”
They continued, “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 welcome him on the Croisette and, in 2017, have been particularly proud to present ‘Carne y Arena’ (Virtually present, Physically invisible) into the Official Selection, a virtual reality installation that addressed the question of migrants with great strength and humanity.”
Iñárritu has a long history with the festival. He made his feature directorial debut at the Cannes Semaine de la Critique in 2000 with “Amores Perros” which was nominated for a Foreign Film Academy Award. “Babel” debuted at the 2006 Festival de Cannes where he was awarded the Best Director Award. “Biutiful” premiered at the 2010 Festival de Cannes and saw star Javier Bardem take the Best Actor prize.
The 55-year-old filmmaker has won four Academy Awards including two Best Director wins for “Birdman” and “The Revenant.” The former also gave him an Oscar when it took Best Picture. Iñárritu also received a Special Achievement Oscar for his Virtual Reality installation, “Carne y Arena” (“Flesh and Blood”) in 2018.
The 2019 Cannes Film Festival will run from Tuesday, May 14 – Saturday, May 25.