2020 was definitely not a great year for many people around the world, with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc. However, before the world seemingly shut down for most of the year, director Bong Joon Ho was riding high thanks to the record-breaking success of his film, “Parasite,” which had just come off of some incredible, surprising wins at the Oscars. And it appears that 2021 is going to continue to be a showcase for Bong, as he has yet another prestigious honor bestowed upon him—as president of the jury at the Venice Film Festival.
READ MORE: Cannes Organizers Already Considering Delaying 2021 Festival Until Mid-Summer
According to Venice, Bong Joon Ho has been selected as the president of the jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival. In this role, the filmmaker will serve a pivotal role in helping decide which film receives this year’s Golden Lion, the coveted trophy handed out to the event’s best picture. Last year, the festival was able to sneak in an abbreviated version of the event before the second wave of COVID shut everything down again. And during that event, Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” took home the top honor, with Tilda Swinton serving as the jury president.
“Venice International Film Festival carries with it a long and varied history, and I’m honored to be woven into its beautiful cinematic tradition,” Bong said. “As president of the jury — and more importantly as a perpetual cinephile — I’m ready to admire and applaud all the great films selected by the festival. I’m filled with genuine hope and excitement.”
Venice director Alberto Barbera added, “We are immensely grateful to him for having agreed to put his passion as a cinephile attentive, inquisitive and unprejudiced at the service of our festival. It is a pleasure and an honor to be able to share the joy of this moment with the countless admirers, throughout the world, of his extraordinary movies.”
As of now, it’s unclear how the pandemic is going to affect the Venice Film Festival. Many are hoping it will be as close to normal as possible with the vaccine beginning to be issued around the world. However, as we’ve seen with Berlin, Sundance, and potentially with Cannes this spring, the pandemic is still proving to be a thorn in the side of many festivals already.
For now, the Venice Film Festival is expected to begin on September 1.