Steven Spielberg will helm the jury of the 66th Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 15 - 26.
Cannes Film Festival president Gilles Jacob says he had extended an open invitation to lure the director to head up past festivals but schedule conflicts prevented him from accepting the task.
“As they say across the Atlantic, Steven Spielberg is a Cannes 'regular': Sugarland Express, Color Purple. But it was with E.T. that I screened as a world premiere in '82 that ties were made of the type you never forget," said Jacob in a statement. "Ever since, I've often asked Steven to be Jury President, but he's always been shooting a film. So when this year I was told “E.T., phone home”, I understood and immediately replied: “At last!”
Spielberg said: “My admiration for the steadfast mission of the Festival to champion the international language of movies is second to none. The most prestigious of its kind, the festival has always established the motion picture as a cross cultural and generational medium.”
