Spike Lee Elected Cannes Jury President

Monday, Jan 27, 2020

Spike Lee Photo Courtesy of Grit Daily

Spike Lee Photo Courtesy of Grit Daily

Spike Lee will serve as jury president of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, making history as the first African-American appointed to the position. Jury president chooses best feature film presented in one of the Cannes’ selections: Official Selection, Directors’ Fortnight, or International Critics’ Week.

Lee told Vanity Fair, “To me, the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in the world - no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career. You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in the world cinema.” Cannes president Pierre Lescure and festival director Thierry Fremaux praised Lee in a statement, calling his perspective “more valuable than ever.”

The official Cannes selection will be unveiled in mid-April, followed by the festival May 12-23.


Read more at Variety