cannes ucr jury

Source: Chieregato / John Russo / Johan Bergmark / Mathieu César / Marcin Kempski

(Clockwise from top left): Valeria Golino, Edgar Ramirez, Debra Granik, Joanna Kulig, Benjamin Biolay

Italian filmmaker and actor Valeria Golino will head a majority-female jury for the Un Certain Regard section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28).

Alongside Golino on the five-person jury are US filmmaker Debra Granik; Joanna Kulig, the Polish lead of Cold War; Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez; and French singer-songwriter and actor Benjamin Biolay.

Having appeared as an actor in English-language films including Rain Man, Golino is recently known for her work as a director including 2018 Un Certain Regard selection Euphoria.

This year’s Un Certain Regard features 20 films, including eight first films and nine by female directors.

Titles selected include Mathieu Vadepied’s opening film Father and soldier (sic), Riley Keogh and Gina Gammell’s US drama Beast, and Emily Atef’s Germany-France co-production Plus que jamais.

“[Cannes] is the occasion to reflect: What path did I take? What have others done? What does the cinema say that is universal, inherent to all times and all countries?,” said Golino. “It is all the more intense within a Jury, where we will feel, think and share together. In this world full of sound and fury, I am happy and honored to be here to help, perhaps, filmmakers to emerge.”

Kira Kovalenko’s Russian title Unclenching The Fists won the main Un Certain Regard prize at last year’s Cannes; there are no Russian films selected this year, with one Ukrainian co-production – Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Buttefly Vision.