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Juliette Binoche will be president of the Jury of the 78th Cannes Film Festival: ''I appreciate the privilege, the responsibility and the absolute need for humility
Photo: Richard Mowe
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Almost exactly four decades after her first appearance on La Croisette, Juliette Binoche will preside over the Jury of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, it has just been announced by the organisers.
She takes on the role in succession to American director Greta Gerwig who presided over last year’s edition. Binoche's duties will include awarding the Palme d'or on Saturday, 24 May.
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Juliette Binoche through the lens of photographer Marie Rouge for last year’s UniFrance Rendezvous with French Cinema in Paris
Photo: UniFrance/Marie Rouge
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The star said: "I'm looking forward to sharing these life experiences with the members of the Jury and the public. In 1985, I walked up the steps for the first time with the enthusiasm and uncertainty of a young actress. I never imagined I'd return 40 years later in the honorary role of President of the Jury. I appreciate the privilege, the responsibility and the absolute need for humility."
The organisers suggest that Binoche’s career trajectory fits the ethos of the Festival to perfection, hailing her enduring "artistic curiosity" since her first major role in André Téchiné's Rendez-vous, which premiered in Cannes in 1985. She has often said in interviews: “I was born at the Festival de Cannes.”
Binoche, say the organisers, "does not seek virtuosity, preferring to trust only in emotion and the elusive truth of the moment." She has never been afraid to stand up for beliefs, protesting in Cannes against the imprisonment of Jafar Panahi, and brandished a placard with his name on stage.
Besides her acting career, she has recently taken on the role of President of the European Film Academy, continues her work for the #MeToo movement and uses her stellar status to raise awareness of the ecological dangers threatening the planet.
Binoche's recent roles include The Return opposite Ralph Fiennes.
The 78th edition of Cannes runs from 13 to 24 May.
