Г. Иркутск 4 – 6 октября 2014Director whose films – Sugarland Express and ET – premiered at the festival more than 30 years ago says he is 'privileged' to take reins for 66th edition in May
Spielberg phone home … the director's Sugarland Express, The Color Purple and ET were premiered at Cannes. Photograph: John Rasimus /Barcroft Media Steven Spielberg is to head the jury for the 2013 Cannes film festival. It will be the first time the US director has taken the role. A favourite of the French event, which premiered his 1974 feature debut Sugarland Express, as well as 1982 sci-fi blockbuster ET, Spielberg agreed in principle to preside over the competition for the coveted Palme D'Or two years ago, say organisers. With his schedule currently clear following delays to sci-fi tale Robopocalypse, he will take the reins from 2012 president Nanni Moretti for the 66th edition of the festival in May. In a statement, Spielberg, 66, said: "My admiration for the steadfast mission of the festival to champion the international language of movies is second to none. The most prestigious of its kind, the festival has always established the motion picture as a cross-cultural and generational medium." He added: "The memory of my first Cannes film festival, nearly 31 years ago with the debut of ET, is still one of the most vibrant of my career. For over six decades, Cannes has served as a platform for extraordinary films to be discovered and introduced to the world for the first time. It is an honour and a privilege to preside over the jury of a festival that proves, again and again, that cinema is the language of the world." Cannes president Gilles Jacob said: "As they say across the Atlantic, Steven Spielberg is a Cannes 'regular' – Sugarland Express, Color Purple. But it was with ET that I screened as a world premiere in '82 that ties were made of the type you never forget. Ever since, I've often asked Steven to be jury president, but he's always been shooting a film. So when this year I was told 'ET, phone home', I understood and immediately replied: 'At last!'" Cannes general delegate Thierry Frémaux confirmed: "Steven Spielberg accepted in principle two years ago. He was able to make himself available this year to be the new jury president and when meeting him these last few weeks it has been obvious he's excited about the job. Because of his films, and the many causes he holds dear, he's year-in year-out the equal of the very greatest Hollywood film-makers. We are very proud to count him among us." Spielberg won best director Oscars in 1994 and 1998 for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Three of his films, 1975's Jaws, ET and 1993's Jurassic Park, were the highest grossing movies in history at the time of their release, and his films have earned more than $8.5bn worldwide at the box office. At the weekend his historical biopic Lincoln saw Daniel Day Lewis take a record-breaking third best actor Oscar for his turn as the 16th president of the United States. Spielberg follows in the footsteps of other US film-making luminaries who have presided over the Cannes jury, including Martin Scorsese (1998), Clint Eastwood (1994) and Quentin Tarantino (2004). This year's Cannes film festival runs from 15 to 26 May. Spielberg joins fellow Oscar-winner Jane Campion, who heads the Cinéfondation section and short film jury, on the Croisette.
Top of Form 14 comments. Showing conversations, sorted Bottom of Form verlaine77 28 February 2013 12:01pm Recommend Can't wait to find out what he makes of Nymphomaniac.
Spaldy 28 February 2013 2:15pm Recommend @verlaine77 - After Lars Von Trier's Hitler joke from a few years back, chances are it won't go down well.
IndianaBeeblebrox 28 February 2013 12:57pm Recommend If he could just tone down the schmaltz, he would be without doubt hailed as the greatest director in the history of cinema: Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders, ET, Schindler's List, and my own favourite, Minority Report are stone-cold classics. There are very few filmakers who can boast half-a-dozen generational gamechangers among their canon, and the likes of Private Ryan, A.I. and Jurassic Park would be the cream of any other filmmakers CV. He's at his best when he's not trying to be so worthy, but his heart's in the right place, and I think he has one more world-crowning movie in him...
CaptainMal 28 February 2013 4:41pm Recommend @IndianaBeeblebrox - thanks for that, we (and Spielberg most of all I think) really needed your analysis. Up until I read your comment I wasn't sure if it was OK to like Spielberg or not. Thankfully I'm now at ease. A schmo on the interwebs critiquing the greatest film maker of all time is like the guy who stands in the back of the Church smoking during sermons critiquing God. Yeesh.
DidntReadTheArticle 28 February 2013 7:18pm Recommend @CaptainMal - thanks for that, we (and indianabeeblebrox most of all i think) really needed your analysis. Up until I read your comment I wasn't sure if it was ok to like indianabeeblebrox's comment or not. Thankfully I'm not at ease. A schmo on the interwebs critiquing another persons post is like the....etc etc you get my drift. Got out of the wrong side of bed this morning did you?
ComradeJenny 28 February 2013 2:06pm Recommend I have a sense that there's a 'celluloid ceiling' with the Cannes festival. I don't think a single female director was included amongst the nominees last year. It's gone beyond a joke.
fruitcoverednails 28 February 2013 4:17pm Recommend @ComradeJenny - There's a huge difference between the quantitative 'glass ceiling' and the qualitative decision for films at Cannes. You're not helping the cause.
ComradeJenny 28 February 2013 5:02pm Recommend @fruitcoverednails - When has it been purely about qualitative distinctions? A year or two back the gong went to Tree of Life, and people were booing at Antichrist (both terrible!) Plus you regularly see critics writing back from that festival of the sort who froth at the mouth about women-hating trash horror films featuring rape and chainsaws (not to mention the publicity people like Eli Roth have been given there, by the way). It was big news last year, there was nothing unfair about my comment. How are you helping the cause?
jamie 28 February 2013 6:35pm Recommend @ComradeJenny - not in 2012, but in 2011 four out of the twenty competition titles were directed by women (by comparison only 9% of the top 250 box office films in 2012 were directed by women). Given the criteria for selection into the competition, which films by female directors meeting those criteria would you say were omitted from last years line-up? Or are you suggesting that Cannes applies positive discrimination in it's selection? I'm not against the idea and I expect they already do, on a geographical, age, topical and gender basis, not to mention how much press and talent any film selected will attract, in whittling down say the last 40 films to 20. But first and foremost there needs to be enough qualifying films of a high enough standard to chose from. I am sure there have been years when films by directors under 35 or directors from South America have also been under represented in the competition lineup. But that doesn't mean that Cannes has a glass ceiling on age or race. There were actually three films directed by women in Un Certain Regard in 2012 (Catherine Corsini's 3 Worlds, Aida Begic's Children and Sylvie Verheyde's Confession of a Child of the Century). But along with a host of other films in Un Certain Regard and the other sidebars they weren't considered big enough films for the main competition. You could argue that at least one of the first two deserved a place in the competition lineup, ahead of say the Paperboy or Post Tenebras Lux. But then once you play that game what about the other Un Certain Regard favourites like Beasts of the Southern Wild, shouldn't that have been promoted to the main lineup first. I think we need to wait till the April press conference to see what Thierry Fremaux has picked this year and whether anything obviously eligible by a female director was omitted, before talking about 'celluloid ceilings'.
ComradeJenny 28 February 2013 9:17pm Recommend @jamie - your point is well taken. Positive discrimination isn't what I really had in mind with my comment, no. I think, generally, that the types of film which is considered 'big' enough for Cannes are fairly circumscribed; and it isn't always about quality. I can't pesently remember whether Bright Star -- possibly Morvern Caller -- were in the running (althought both were excellent). Generally, when I see Von Trier and the usual suspects in the headlines, it makes my heart sink. I am a fan of Jennifer Abbott and Claire Denis. But thanks for your reply.
CaptainMal 28 February 2013 4:37pm Recommend On the front page the subline beneath the headline that uses his name, is "ET director to head jury...". You know for those eight people who would read a story about the Cannes film festival but not know who Spielberg is or what films he has directed.
conedison 01 March 2013 7:52am Recommend Steven Spielberg is now worth over 3 billion dollars. He did it all by himself (Daddy didn't leave him a red cent). LOTS of people in Hollywood hate him for it,
IndianaBeeblebrox 01 March 2013 10:26am Recommend Thanks for your corsuscating critique of my post, Captain Mal, I needed that. When all's said and done, I'm proud not to be the kind of dweeb who ends posts with 'Yeeesh', though...
deadwoodlive 02 March 2013 11:22am Recommend Spielberg heading the Cannes Film Festival jury is disappointing. Quite.In totality he represents Hollywood that Jean-Luc Godard so vehemently was critical of and rightly so. Very rarely he represents the rebellious and non conformist Cannes spirit. It is bad news for Mecca of alternative cinema.Has the Cannes establishment lost the plot. Spielberg may be wielding Hollywoodian power but very little cinema he has in him. One can only pray that the jury under him is wiser and prevailing.By the way no film maker worth her salt envies him.
Comments for this discussion are now closed
г. Иркутск 4 – 6 октября 2014
1. Процедура расходования стипендиального фонда требует обязательного наличия: а) стипендиальной комиссии; б) порядка назначения всех видов стипендий и других видов материальной поддержки; в) профсоюзной организации.
2. Выплата государственной академической стипендии студенту, получившему «тройку» за курсовую работу, приостанавливается: а) с месяца, в котором получена оценка; б) с месяца, следующего за месяцем окончания соответствующей промежуточной аттестации; в) с месяца, следующего за месяцем, в котором получена оценка.
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