Juliette Binoche will chair the jury for the 78th Cannes Festival, forty years after her first appearance on the Croisette. Actress with a singular journey, she was able to impose her gaze on the world through a career marked by daring choices and a desire to cross the borders of cinema. Its constant presence in the international cinematographic landscape attests to a trajectory marked by inexhaustible meetings and artistic curiosity.
By succeeding Greta Gerwig, she becomes the second woman to take over from another artist in this role. Aware of the responsibility of her, she declares: ” I look forward to sharing these moments of life with the members of the jury and the public. In 1985, I climbed the steps for the first time with the enthusiasm and uncertainty of a young actress; I did not imagine returning 40 years later in this honorary role of president of the jury. I weigh the privilege, responsibility and the absolute necessity of humility. »»
Since its beginnings in Appointment by André Téchiné, presented in Cannes in 1985, she built a rich and diversified filmography, working with directors as varied as Michael Haneke, David Cronenberg, Olivier Assayas, Naomi Kawase, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Krzysztof Kie.mown or Abbas Kiarostami.
Its role in Compliant copy From Kiarostami, which earned him the price of female interpretation in 2010, illustrates this desire to make cinema a meeting place for cultures and sensitivities. In this film, shot in Italy, she embodies a woman whose identity is transformed over the dialogues, blurring the benchmarks between reality and illusion. For her, the essence of the game is based on emotion and truth of the moment. Louis Malle said of her: ” There is a love story between her and the camera, an astonishing intensity. »»
Her talent was praised many times: she won an Oscar to The English patient In 1997, a Bafta and a Screen Actors Guild Award for the same film, a César for Three colors: blue From Krzysztof Kieślowski, as well as interpretation prices in Cannes, Berlin and Venice. It is the first of the only two actresses (with Juliana Moore) to have won the interpretation awards in the three largest European festivals. She also received the Donostia Award in Saint-Sébastien for her whole career and the European film Award for Summer time.
Over the decades, she has been able to alternate more accessible author films and productions, letting herself be guided by desire rather than the rules of the market. At Bruno Dumont, she goes from the sleek drama Camille Claudel 1915 (2013) at Burlesque Comedy My Loute (2016), proving its ability to embrace contrasting registers.
Always looking for new artistic territories, she explores the theater with Ivo Van Hove, dance with Akram Khan, music alongside Alexandre Tharaud, and painting. His commitment to these parallel disciplines only reinforces his sensory relationship to the game, nourishing each of his performances with a singular intensity.
Committed to many fronts, she defends the rights of undocumented migrants, freedoms in Iran-she had already protested in Cannes against the imprisonment of Jafar Panahi-and is regularly expressed on violence against women. By publicly sharing her own experiences in the cinema world, she helps to develop mentalities and to release the words of young actresses. It also warns against ecological dangers, using its notoriety to alert opinion on climate emergency.
In parallel, Juliette Binoche was recently appointed president of the European Cinema Academy, an institution that promotes international continent cinema and rewards the most significant films of the year. This new responsibility is part of its lifelong commitment for an open cinema accessible to all.
His journey recalls that of Olivia de Havilland, who, in 1965, was the first woman president of the festival jury. Sixty years later, Juliette Binoche perpetuates this heritage, in turn affirming the importance of a free and committed voice in world cinema. In a constantly changing cinematographic landscape, her role as president of the 2025 jury is part of a continuity, while carrying an open, curious and committed vision on the contemporary world.
The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 24 May 2025.
