Last year it was Isabelle Huppert, the coffee plantation owner without a safety net in Claire Denis’ drama White Material who was the head of the Cannes Jury, this year it is Denis who finds herself at the head of jury duty but in the parallel Un Certain Regard section, the same category where she once showed J’ai pas sommeil, back in 1994. I’m almost guaranteed to share a row seat with Denis, as last year I couldn’t stop bumping into head jury person Paolo Sorrentino (helmer of Il Divo). Expect the remaining jurors to be announced shortly.
Denis might have gotten used to presenting her films in Venice as of late, but she has a carved out a home of sorts with Cannes — having presented a decade list’s favorite in the 2001 Trouble Every Day and she was offered an In Competition slot for 1988’s Chocolat – a must see film for those who’ve recently seen White Material. Her filmography also includes Man No Run (89), S’en fout la mort (90), Nénette et Boni (96), Beau travail (99), Vendredi Soir (02), L’Intrus (04), 35 Rhums (08) and last year’s film with Huppert. Also worth mentioning, this is a second time as a jury member for Denis on the Croisette, she was a juror in the short film comp in Y2K.
