Canadian arthouse filmmaker and actor Xavier Dolan has been chosen to head up the jury of the Une Certain Regard category at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May.
"I am humbled and delighted to return to Cannes as president of the Un Certain Regard jury," Dolan told festival organisers on Thursday.
"Even more than making films myself, discovering the work of talented filmmakers has always been at the very heart of both my personal and professional journeys," he said.
Under Dolan's presidency, the jury is expected to shine a light on stories that, in his own words, are "told truthfully".
Dolan is no stranger to the Cannes Film Festival, where he received the Jury Prize for Mommy in 2014 and was member of the jury chaired by the Coen brothers at the 68th edition in 2015.
Close connection to Cannes
Originally from Montreal, in eastern Canada, Dolan came into the spotlight with I Killed My Mother, that he wrote, directed, produced and starred in at just 19 years of age.
It premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes in 2009 and won three awards. It was chosen to represent Canada for the Academy Awards the same year.
Since 2009, he has written and directed eight feature films, all of which have premiered at Cannes, with the exception of Tom at the Farm – which premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival in 2013.
His first English-language film, The Death & Life of John F. Donovan, premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2022, Xavier Dolan directed his first TV series, The Night Logan Woke Up.
Acting talent
As an actor, Dolan starred in films such as Boy Erased (2018) and It Chapter Two (2019) and dubbed dozens of films in the Quebecois French accent.
His role in Xavier Giannoli's Lost Illusions (2021) earned him a nomination for the César Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Dolan has also directed music videos, notably with Adele for her singles Hello (2015), and Easy on Me (2021), for which he received a Grammy Award for Best Music Video nomination.
But in July 2023, he shocked the cinema industry by announcing he would take a break from filmmaking, telling Spanish press that he was "tired".
"I don’t need to make any more films...I’ve made a lot of them, and it's enough. I don’t want to go through the process of post-production again...wondering if people are gonna watch my work.
'I've been lucky'
"I had a very satisfying career. I've also expressed myself very freely. I’ve been lucky. I've never been told what to do or how to do it. I always kept my freedom."
The announcement of Dolan's presidency comes not long after news that Greta Gerwig, of Barbie fame will preside over the main competition jury.
"Let's hold on to our dreams, because together we can change the world. Anything is possible for those who dare, work and never give up," he said, looking forward to the challenge.
The official selection is due to be unveiled on 11 April and the festival runs from 14 - 25 May.
