Director Spike Lee -
Zuma / Starface
For the first time, a black personality will chair the jury of the Cannes film festival.
And this honor will go to American director Spike Lee, announced to lead the 74th edition from July 6 to 17.
Spike Lee was scheduled to serve as jury president last year, but the pandemic prevented the festival from being held.
"Faithful to his commitments", he will therefore assume this function for the 74th edition, whose preparations are in full swing, the organizers said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Official Selection and the composition of the Jury will be unveiled in early June, they said.
Symbol
The designation of this flagship filmmaker of the black cause, author of both activist and mainstream films, is a strong symbol once again sent after last year's announcement by the most prestigious film festival in the world.
"For 30 years, the indefatigable Spike Lee translates with acuity the questions of his time, in a resolutely contemporary form which never neglects the lightness and the entertainment", underlined the organizers of the Festival in a press release.
Cancellation?
"We could not hope for a more powerful personality to question our times so upset," said the president of the festival Pierre Lescure, quoted in the press release.
"His enthusiasm and his passion for cinema give us increased energy to prepare for the great festival that everyone is waiting for," added General Delegate Thierry Frémaux.
This 74th edition scheduled, at the Palais des Festivals, is expected as rarely: if sanitary conditions allow it to be held on the dates scheduled, it will be the most important world cinema meeting for more than a year.
Most of the other major festivals have been forced in recent months to cancel or have contented themselves with online editions.
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