Spike Lee will lead the jury of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and festival organizers hope the provocative American director will “shake things up” at the gathering of the world’s cinema elite. Lee said he was “honored to be the first person of the African diaspora” chosen for the prestigious position. Festival organizer Thierry Fremaux said naming the first black president of the Cannes jury wasn’t a political decision, but “a message of universality.” Speaking on France’s RTL radio today, Fremaux noted the diverse nationalities of jury members and directors whose films are screened at Cannes. Many of Lee’s films have been shown at Cannes, and his “BlacKkKlansman” won a major prize at Cannes last year. This year’s festival runs May 12-23, and the rest of the jury members will be announced in April.

Source: The Standard January 14, 2020 10:30 UTC