Leïla Bekhti will serve as President of the Un Certain Regard Jury at the 79th Festival de Cannes. She and her four jury members, Senegal’s producer Angèle Diabang, Lebanon’s composer Khaled Mouzanar, Italy’s director Laura Samani, and France’s director Thomas Cailley, will be tasked with selecting the winners of this selection, which celebrates young, auteur-driven cinema and new discoveries. Last year, Chilean filmmaker Diego Céspedes won the Un Certain Regard Prize with his highly acclaimed debut film, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.
“For my first time as Jury President, I will find myself in the unique position of watching, listening, sharing, and celebrating. Working in cinema has taught me that movies are places of encounter with others, with oneself, with the world. Discovering them alongside a jury, living this timeless experience, is both a responsibility and a joy. I look forward to the exchanged perspectives, the dialogues, and the doubts as well, which make up the richness of this living art. And, ultimately, I will be there in the most precious seat of all: that of the audience.” – Leïla Bekhti
