Ruben Östlund named Cannes Film Festival jury president

Ruben Östlund, Palme d’Or award winner for the film ‘Triangle of Sadness’, poses.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Swedish director Ruben Östlund, two-times winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has been named jury president for this year’s competition.

“I am happy, proud, and humbled to be trusted with the honour of Jury president for this year’s Competition at the Festival de Cannes,” said Östlund.

The director’s film Triangle of Sadness, winner of last year’s Palme d’Or for best picture explored notions of beauty and privilege, sending two models on a luxury cruise — and leaving them stranded on a deserted island with a handful of the staff and billionaire guests.

He also won the prize in 2017, for his movie The Square, a satire about the art world.

The festival last year returned to its traditional calendar after several years of COVID-19 disruptions. Challenged by the popularity of streaming, the film industry has struggled to gain back audiences after the pandemic forced the closure of theatres around the world and halted production.

The world’s second-largest cinema operator, Cineworld Group, filed for bankruptcy in September and on February 24 said it failed to find a buyer for the entire company.

French actor Vincent Lindon presided over last year’s festival, which was the 75th anniversary edition.

Past jury presidents, who are tasked with overseeing the team that judges the films vying for the festival’s prestigious prizes, have included U.S. directors Francis Ford Coppola and Spike Lee, as well as actors Isabelle Huppert and Gerard Depardieu.

“The cinema has a unique aspect,” said Östlund. “It makes us reflect in a different way than when we dopamine scroll in front of the individual screens.” This year’s festival takes place from May 16 to 27.