Greta Gerwig becomes youngest Cannes jury president after Sophia Loren
Greta Gerwig, the renowned director of the global hit Barbie, is set to make history as the first female American director to serve as jury president at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. The festival announced this exciting news on Thursday, calling Gerwig "a heroine of modern our times" who has shaken the "status quo."
Gerwig's love for cinema and the film festival
While speaking to Deadline, Gerwig stated, "I am stunned and thrilled and humbled to be serving as the president of the Cannes Film Festival Jury. I cannot wait to see what journeys are in store for all of us." She added, "As a cinephile, Cannes has always been the pinnacle of what the universal language of movies can be." The 40-year-old is also the youngest person to take on the role since Italian actor Sophia Loren (then 31) in 1966.
Festival praised Gerwig's contribution to cinema
Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch and Delegate General Thierry Frémaux applauded Gerwig's appointment and said, "This is an obvious choice since Greta Gerwig so audaciously embodies the renewal of world cinema, for which Cannes is each year both the forerunner and the sounding board." They also emphasized her role in breaking down barriers and mixing genres, thereby elevating values of intelligence and humanism. The festival will take place from May 14 to May 25, 2024.
