Female stars dominate Cannes festival jury

The President of the 2018 Cannes film festival Australian actress Cate Blanchett and jury members (From Top L to bottom R) Burundian singer and composer Khadja Nin, Chinese actor Chang Chen, American writer-director Ava DuVernay, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev, French actress Lea Seydoux, French director Robert Guediguian and US actress Kristen Stewart. (AFP/Getty)

• Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart and Lea Seydoux are included in the jury
• Organizers clearly felt the need to make a stronger gesture toward women in a year dominated by #MeToo

PARIS: Hollywood actresses Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart and Lea Seydoux will head a starry and majority-female jury at the Cannes film festival next month, the organizers said Wednesday.

American writer-director Ava DuVernay of “Selma” fame and Burundian singer and composer Khadja Nin complete the five women on the nine-person jury that will decide the top Palme d’Or prize.

Chinese actor Chang Chen, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve and French writer Robert Guediguian make up the rest of the panel alongside the great Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev, who organizers said Tuesday would be one of the nine.

In a year when the #MeToo movement has dominated the headlines, and with only three female directors among the 18 in competition, the organizers clearly felt the need to make a stronger gesture toward women.