This year’s Cannes Camera d’Or jury will be led by a very familiar face to the festival faithful: Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher. Following last year’s duo of jury chairs, Emmanuelle Béart and Baloji, Rohrwacher will chair the group that honors a first feature film presented in the fest’s Official Selection, at the Critics’ Week, or the Directors’ Fortnight. In 2024, the Caméra d’or went to Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel for “Armand,” which premiered at Un Certain Regard.
“First times are always important and they stay with us for the rest of our lives,” said Rohrwacher in an official statement. “Like entering an unfamiliar room, approaching one’s beloved for a first kiss, or landing on a foreign shore. There’s something golden that haloes these moments in our memory. Is that why the most prestigious award for first films is called Caméra d’Or?”
“La Chimera” and “Happy as Lazzaro” filmmaker Rohrwacher is a mainstay at Cannes, having shown four of her films in the festival’s official selection in recent years, including three in competition. In 2018, her “Happy as Lazzaro” took home the Best Screenwriting prize, while her 2014 entry “The Wonders” picked up the Grand Prix. Rohrwacher’s first film, “Heavenly Body,” premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight sidebar in 2011.
In 2019, Rohrwacher also served on the competition jury, and was part of the group that awarded the Palme d’Or to Bong Joon Ho’s eventual Best Picture winner “Parasite.” Juliette Binoche was previously announced as the head of this year’s competition jury, with other members to be announced soon.
Rohrwacher and her to-be-announced jury will be able to choose from a large array of contenders across the various eligible sections. Directors’ Fortnight in particular packs a big punch this year, including offerings from first-time filmmakers like “Sorry, Baby” director Eva Victor. Critics’ Week also boasts a number of buzzy titles, like Sean Baker’s “Take Out” co-director and co-writer Shih-Ching Tsou’s directorial debut with “Left-Handed Girl.”
This year’s awards will be given out at the Closing Ceremony of the 78th Festival de Cannes on Saturday, May 24. The 78th Cannes Film Festival will take place May 13 – May 24.
