Iranian female filmmaker among Cannes Film Festival jury
The jury members of the 69th Cannes Film Festival were introduced, including an Iranian female filmmaker.
Film producer Katayoun Shahabi is the second Iranian woman, after Leila Hatami, to be on the jury of this prestigious film festival.
Apart from Ms. Shahabi, Kristen Dunst (American actress), Valeria Golino (Italian actress and director), and Vanessa Paradis (French actress and singer) will be three other women members of this nine-member jury, forming one of the most female-led jury panels in the history of the festival.
The other members of this year's jury are Mes Mikkelsen (Danish actor), Donald Sutherland (American actor), Laszlo Nemes (Hungarian director), and Arnaud Desplechan (French director and screenwriter).
Previously, George Miller, the creator of the Mad Max films, was announced as the president of the jury for this year's Cannes Film Festival.
He is the first Australian to head the jury of this festival.
Last year, the Coen brothers, two-time Palme d'Or winners, headed the Cannes jury.
This was the first time that two people jointly chaired the jury.
The 69th Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 11 to 12 in southern France.
This year, Asghar Farhadi's latest film, The Salesman , is also in the competition section and, given Ms. Shahabi's presence on the jury, is considered one of the main contenders for the award.
Katayoun Shahabi is the CEO of Shahrzad International Media Institute and a former board member of the Iranian Documentary Cinema Producers Association.
Ms. Shahabi was the global distributor of Aida Panahandeh's film "Nahid," which achieved success in Iran and around the world. The film won an award in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
In addition to producing several documentary and feature films, he has participated as a judge in several international film festivals and is active in the global distribution of Iranian cinema products.
In 2010, Ms. was selected as an exemplary exporter of Iranian cultural, artistic, cinematic, and audiovisual services by the Services Export Development Office of the Trade Development Organization of Iran.
In 2011, he was arrested along with five other documentary filmmakers on charges of collaborating with media outlets outside Iran and was released on bail after nearly two months.
"From Iran, a Separation," "Sepideh," and "Old Boy" are among the documentary films produced by Ms. Shahabi.
Source: BBC Persian
