In 2023, Deepika Padukone debuted as the Cannes jury in a fitting saree moment
The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival is all set to take place from May 14-25, 2024. While American filmmaker-actress Greta Gerwig will serve as jury president for the main competition, French actress Camille Cottin is expected to host the opening and closing ceremonies. As for the film, The Second Act directed by Quentin Dupieux will open the festival, which will see George Lucas receiving the Honorary Palme d'Or at the closing ceremony. Cannes 2024 has several notable world premieres this year.
Interestingly, writer-director Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light is all set to become a top competition slot of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. Nonetheless, Kapadia, 30, is not new to the festival on the French Riviera. Her film, A Night of Not Knowing Nothing, bagged
Kapadia is not new to the festival on the French Riviera. In 2021, her A Night of Not Knowing Nothing won the Golden Eye Award for Best Documentary playing in the Director’s Fortnight. In 2017, her Afternoon Clouds was part of the Cinefondation section.
But while we are elated to know Kapadia is aiming for the Palme d'Or, there have been several Indians who have been part of the Cannes jury over the years. Last year, it was Deepika Padukone who was part of one of its eight-member jury. And Deepika made her debut in a fitting saree moment.
Interestingly, the first Indian to serve on the Cannes Film Festival jury was Mrinal Sen, who became a member in 1982. In the same year, his film Kharij was awarded the jury prize. His other films to be shown at Cannes are Ek Din Pratidin, Khandar, and Genesis.
Mira Nair, a filmmaker and producer, bagged the Audience Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her film Salaam Bombay! In 1990, she served on the jury at Cannes.
Arundhati Roy, known for her literary skills and having won the Booker Prize in 1997 for The God of Small Things, was on the Cannes film jury in 2000. The novelist and activist has also written for television.
In 2002, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her debut at the Cannes Film Festival, where she made it to the red carpet for the premiere of her film Devdas, which co-starred Shah Rukh Khan. A year later, she was on the jury, and became the first Indian actress to do so.
Actress-filmmaker Nandita Das was part of the jury in 2005. In 2013, Das, known for directing Firaaq (2008) and for starring in Fire (1996) and Bawandar (2000), was on the jury for Cinefondation, which is a Cannes foundation that promotes next-generation international filmmakers. She was also on the short film jury.
Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore joined the international jury in 2009, but her career in Cannes began much earlier because her 1960 film Devi, directed by Satyajit Ray, premiered at the festival in 1962.
In 2010, Bafta and Golden Globe-nominated director and actor Shekhar Kapur served on the jury. He is known for his roles in Elizabeth (1998), The Four Feathers (2002), and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007).
Vidya Balan too was on the jury at the 66th Cannes Film Festival in 2013.
