The Academy award winning star will be the first female jury president since Jane Campion served in 2014

Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett has been named the President of the Jury for the 71st Annual Cannes Film Festival. The “Carol” and “Thor: Ragnarok” star will be the first female jury president since Jane Campion served in 2014. Other women to take on the role this century include Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert and Liv Ullmann. It is the 12th time in festival history a woman has headed the jury.  Blanchett succeeds 2017 jury president Pedro Almodova.  She’ll be featured in the female-driven reboot “Ocean’s 8” in June, then taking on the leading role in Richard Linklater’s “Where’d You Go Bernadette.”

The Australian movie star was one of 300 influential women in Hollywood who launched the Time’s Up initiative this week, in response to a string of sexual assault accusations against prominent men in the film industry. The Australian actor will become the 12th woman to lead the prestigious panel at Cannes, which kicks off on 8 May.

“We’re very pleased to welcome a rare and unique artist with talent and conviction,” Cannes president Pierre Lescure and delegate general Thierry Fremaux said in a joint statement.

She will take over from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar as jury head at Cannes, which last year awarded its “Palme d‘Or” to the Swedish satirical drama film ‘The Square’.

 

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