The Cannes Film Festival will have two Latin American directors as members of the jury this year: Kleber Mendonça Filho from Brazil will participate as a juror in the official competition, while Argentine director Daniel Burman from Argentina will be in the jury of the Un Certain Regard Competition.
Born in Recife, Brazil, Mendonça Filho became a film programmer and critic while making award-winning short films. Neighboring Sounds, Mendonça Filho's first feature film, had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2012 and was Brazil’s entry in the race for the Oscars. The New York Times listed it among the ten best films of the year. His second feature film Aquarius, starring Sonia Braga, was in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, in 2016. before being nominated for a César and at the Independent Spirit Award. In 2019, Bacurau, co-directed by Juliano Dornelles, screened in competition in Cannes was awarded the Jury Prize. Kleber is also a film programmer for Instituto Moreira Salles in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and the artistic director of Janela Internacional de Cinema do Recife.
Cannes’ jury this year will be helmed by American director Spike Lee, and in addition to Mendonça Filho, it will also include American actor-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, French actor-director Mélanie Laurent, French-Senegalese actor-director Mati Diop, Austrian director Jessica Hausner, cult French singer Mylene Farmer, French actor Tahar Rahim, and South Korean actor Song Kang-ho. It marks the first time that a Black president presides the jury, and with a ratio of five women to three men.
Director, producer and screenwriter, Daniel Burman is considered one of the most important Argentinian filmmakers of his generation. He has directed 11 films and produced over 25. In 2004, he won critical and international acclaim with El abrazo partido (Silver Bear, Berlinale). His award-winning films also include Todas las azafatas van al cielo (Sundance NHK Award) and La suerte en tus manos (Best Screenplay, Tribeca Film Festival). In 2008, at the Venice Film Festival, he received the Robert-Bresson Award from the Vatican State, in recognition of his humanitarian vision. He stands as CEO of the Oficina Burman, a Mediapro Studio Company as well as, Head of Content for The Mediapro Studio US, since 2018. He co-created and produced Victoria Small (International Emmy Award Nominee) and he’s currently working on the new Amazon series Iosi, the Repentant Spy.
British director Andrea Arnold is the president of the Un Certain Regard jury, which also includes Algerian director Mounia Meddour, French actress Elsa Zylberstein, and American director-actor Michael Covino.
The 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place July 6 - 17.
