For the second time in the 78-year history of the Cannes Film Festival, a female jury president will be followed by another female jury president. In 2024, “Barbie” and “Little Women” director Greta Gerwig presided over a jury that rewarded films such as “Anora,” “Emilia Perez,” and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” In 2025, that responsibility will go to French actress and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche.
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In a statement, Binoche remarked “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.”
Binoche first attended the festival 40 years ago when André Téchiné’s “Rendez-Vous” won Best Director at the 1985 festival. She won Best Actress at the festival in 2010 for Abbas Kiarostami’s “Certified Copy” and has appeared in competition 10 times overall. Her last appearance was in Trần Anh Hùng’s “The Taste of Things” in 2023.
Binoche won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Anthony Mingella’s “The English Patient” in 1997. Her legendary resume includes the “Three Colors” trilogy, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” “Damage,” “Chocolat,” “Caché,” “Clouds of Sils Maria,” “Non-Fiction,” and Garth Edwards’ “Godzilla.” She also recently starred in “The New Look” for Apple TV+.
The last time two women presided over the jury back-to-back was in 1965 and 1966 when Olivia de Havilland and Sophia Loren took the honors.
Other recent jury presidents include Spike Lee, Ruben Östlund, Vincent Lindon, Cate Blanchett, Pedro Almodovar, Alejandro González Iñárritu, George Miller, The Coen Brothers, and Jane Campion. Binoche is only the third French president since 2009 after Isabelle Huppert and Lindon.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival will run from May 13 – May 24. You can expect complete coverage from La Croisette on The Playlist.
Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
