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CANNES 2013 Jury

Cannes 2013: The presidency for Steven Spielberg

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- The American filmmaker and producer will preside over the jury of the 66th edition (from May 15th to 26th) of the very famous Cannes Film Festival

The rumour has been around since the beginning of the year and is now officially confirmed: the jury of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival (from May 15th to 26th, 2013) will be presided by the American filmmaker and producer Steven Spielberg, who follows Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti in this role. He will be the 18th American to occupy this position in the history of the festival, and the 5th in this decade after Quentin Tarantino (2004), Sean Penn (2008), Tim Burton (2010) and Robert de Niro (2011).

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Steven Spielberg won the prize for Best Screenplay on the Croisette in 1974 for Sugarland Express. He also presented three films there out of competition: E.T. (which closed the festival in 1982), The Color Purple in 1986 and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. His prolific filmography includes 27 feature films, including Schindler’s List, which received the Oscar for Best Film in 1994 and also brought him an Oscar for Best Director, which he also won for Saving Private Ryan in 1999. Currently on screens, his latest opus, Lincoln, enabled Daniel Day-Lewis to win his third Oscar for Best Actor last Sunday.

Steven Spielberg commented: "The memory of my first time in Cannes already goes back more than 31 years, but it remains one of the high points of my career. For over six decades, Cannes has been an incomparable platform designed to reveal extraordinary movies from all around the world. For me, it is a great honour and an immense priviledge to preside over the jury of a Festival which constantly and tirelessly proves that cinema is the language of the world".

Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the Cannes Film Festival, said: "Steven Spielberg gave his agreement in principle two years ago. He has made himself available this year to become the new President of the Jury. The more I got to know him these past few weeks, the more I felt he was enthusiastic about his task. His films, but also his deep involvement at all levels, make him, year after year, one of the greatest filmmakers in Hollywood. We are very proud to welcome him”. This feeling was indeed shared by the Festival's President, Gilles Jacob: “It was showing E.T. in 1982 in its world premiere that created links between us that cannot be forgotten. Since then, I have often asked Steven to preside the jury, but each time he told me he was filming. For that reason, this year, when I was told "E.T. phone home", I understood and said: "Finally!"…

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(Translated from French)

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