Hirokazu Koreeda Selected as Jury Member for 77th Cannes Film Festival

Acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda has been selected as a jury member for the competition section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Koreeda will be the second Japanese director to serve on the Cannes jury since Naomi Kawase in 2013.

The nine-member jury will be led by American filmmaker Greta Gerwig, who is the first American female director to serve as Jury President at the Cannes Film Festival. The jury also includes Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, American actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, Spanish director and screenwriter Juan Antonio Bayona, Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, and French actor and producer Omar Sy.

The jury will have the honor of presenting the prestigious Palme d'Or, the festival's highest prize, to one of the 22 films in competition. The winners will be announced on May 25th during the Closing Ceremony.

Koreeda is an internationally acclaimed director, and many of his films have been in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. His 2018 film Manbiki Kazoku (Shoplifters) won the Palme d'Or that year.

Why this matters: The selection of Hirokazu Koreeda as a jury member for the Cannes Film Festival highlights the growing recognition and influence of Japanese cinema on the international stage. It also emphasizes the festival's commitment to showcasing diverse perspectives and voices in the world of film.

The 77th Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 14 to 25, with a lineup that includes highly anticipated films like Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness, and Ali Abbasi's The Apprentice. The festival has a strong history of selecting award-season contenders, with last year's Palme d'Or winner, Anatomy of a Fall, going on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Key Takeaways

• Hirokazu Koreeda selected as Cannes Film Festival jury member, 2nd Japanese since 2013.
• Greta Gerwig first American female director to serve as Cannes Jury President.
• Jury to present prestigious Palme d'Or award to one of 22 competition films.
• Koreeda's 2018 film "Shoplifters" won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
• Cannes 2024 lineup includes highly anticipated films from renowned directors.