French actress Anaïs Demoustier (“Sweet Evil”) was announced Friday as the woman to chair this year’s Caméra d’Or jury at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The Caméra d’Or prize is presented to one debut feature film that is entered in Cannes’ Official Selection or a parallel category.
Demoustier won the 2020 César Award for Best Actress in Nicolas Pariser’s critical and box office hit “Alice and the Mayor.” She most recently appeared in Quentin Dupieux’s most recent film, “Smoking Causes Coughing.”
“Among my greatest joys as a spectator is seeing the debut film of a director who goes on to become a major force,” Demoustier said in a statement. “A gesture, the first one, one that forever anchors the necessity of a director and creates a desire to see him or her begin again. As an actress, I’ve been lucky to experience alongside young directors the delicate balance between nervous energy and a desire to see through their first creation. I am very honoured and looking forward to discovering debut films at Cannes this year as President of the Caméra d’or Jury. Promises and surprises from around the world to remind us how important cinema is.”
According to the Cannes Film Festival, the Caméra d’or Jury award is designed to encourage young creation and is a catalyst for the career of filmmakers as it offers them a unique, international showcase. Past winners have included Jim Jarmusch, Jafar Panahi, and Steve McQueen.
The jury itself is made up of other representatives in the entertainment industry. This year it includes actor Raphaël Personnaz (“The White Crow”), cinematographer Nathalie Durand, director and screenwriter Mikael Buch; Sophie Frilley, CEO of Titrafilm; and Nicolas Marcadé, editor-in-chief of the Fiches du Cinéma et l’Annuel du Cinéma.
Demoustier follows up last year’s Caméra d’Or chairperson, Rossy de Palma, who awarded the prize to directors Riley Keough and Gina Gammel for their feature, “War Pony.” A special award was given to Japanese director Hayakawa Chie for her feature, “Plan 75.” Both films were in the Official Selection of Un Certain Regard.
This year’s Cannes Film Festival will see several big names in the Main Competition including Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” Todd Haynes’ “May December,” Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest,” and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster.” That is on top of presentations of Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” as well as their latest Pixar effort “Elemental.”
The 76th Cannes Film Festival runs from May 16th-27th.
