Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas, and Jeremy Strong have been officially announced as the members of the Cannes Film Festival’s main Competition jury for its prestigious 78th edition, taking place from May 13 to May 24. They join the previously announced Jury President, Juliet Binoche. Together, this esteemed jury will award the coveted Palme d’Or to one of the 21 films competing in the main Competition, along with the Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor awards.
Halle Berry, a celebrated U.S. actress and filmmaker, made history as the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her powerful performance in Marc Forster’s Monster’s Ball (2002). Her impressive filmography spans both blockbuster hits and independent projects, including classics such as Jungle Fever (1991), Dorothy Dandridge (1999), and X-Men (1999). Other notable films include Swordfish (2002), Die Another Day (2003), Gothika (2003), Frankie & Alice (2011), Cloud Atlas (2012), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and John Wick: Parabellum (2019). In addition to her acting career, Berry made her directorial debut with the film Bruised in 2020 and serves as a producer for many of her projects, including the upcoming Never Let Go (2024) directed by Alexandre Aja.
Indian director and screenwriter Payal Kapadia gained international acclaim after winning the Grand Prix at Cannes last year for her debut feature, All We Imagine As Light. This poignant film, set in Mumbai, is a heartfelt tribute to friendship and marked India's return to the Cannes Competition after a 30-year hiatus, a feat accomplished during her time at the festival's La Résidence de La Cinéfondation in 2019.
Alba Rohrwacher, an Italian actress renowned for her remarkable talent, is a frequent presence at the Cannes Film Festival. Her notable works include I Am Love by Luca Guadagnino, The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Saverio Costanzo, and Dormant Beauty by Marco Bellocchio. She has presented several films in the Cannes Competition alongside her sister, director Alice Rohrwacher, including The Wonders (Grand Prix 2014), Happy as Lazzaro (Best Screenplay ex-aequo 2018), and La Chimera (2023). Her collaborations also extend to Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales (2014) and Nanni Moretti’s Tre Piani (2020).
Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani is celebrated in cinematic circles for her second novel, Lullaby, which won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2016 and was adapted into a film in 2019, featuring performances by Karin Viard and Leïla Bekhti.
Congolese director and documentarist Dieudo Hamadi made his mark at Cannes with his documentary Downstream to Kinshasa, which was part of the official selection in 2020. He is currently developing the series Milimo, les âmes errantes de Kinshasa for Canal +, as well as his next feature film, La Vie est un chemin de fer.
South Korean director and screenwriter Hong Sangsoo is a regular at Cannes, having presented four films in the main Competition, including Woman Is the Future of Man (2004) and The Day After (2017). He has also showcased films in the Un Certain Regard section, where his film Hahaha (2010) won the Un Certain Regard Prize.
Mexican director, screenwriter, and producer Carlos Reygadas is known for his cinematic prowess. He received the Caméra d’Or Special for his first film, Japon, and was later recognized in the main Competition with Silent Light, which won the Jury Prize (ex-aequo). His film Post Tenebras Lux brought him the Best Director award in 2014.
U.S. actor Jeremy Strong made waves at Cannes last year for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in The Apprentice, a role that earned him nominations for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA. His remarkable career also includes a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in An Enemy of the People. Strong's filmography boasts collaborations with acclaimed directors such as Aaron Sorkin in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Kathryn Bigelow in Zero Dark Thirty, and Steven Spielberg in Lincoln. He is widely recognized for his iconic role as Kendall Roy in HBO's acclaimed series Succession, for which he received an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice Award. Strong's upcoming projects include Deliver Me From Nowhere, a biopic on Bruce Springsteen, scheduled for release in 2025.
