Cannes 2011: Robert De Niro is President of the Jury
According to an official Cannes press release, Robert De Niro will be President of the Jury for the 64th Festival de Cannes, due to take place from May 11th to 22nd 2011. The official press release, which also takes time to note the festival organisers' tribute to the De Niro's own Tribeca festival, offered this statement from "the best actor of his generation":
The Cannes Film Festival is a rare opportunity for me as it is one of the oldest and one of the best in the world... As co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival and the Doha Tribeca Film Festival I have an increased appreciation for the jury, who serve, undertaking an important role in choosing films that are represented in the world of film at its highest level, and these types of festivals help connect the international film community and have a lasting cultural impact... Having served as President of the Jury in the eighties twice, I know this isn't an easy task for me or my fellow jury members, but I'm very honored and happy to head the jury for this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Besides his twice Jury head duties, De Niro already has a fair association with the festival, having attended for his part in no less than eight films, two of which won Palme dOr : Taxi Driver, in 1976, and ten years later, The Mission directed by Roland Joffe. Oddly, his latest film franchises Analyze This & That and The Fockers trilogy have never been considered for inclusion...
Who else is thinking that this choice might be a conscious effort to draw more star-power to the festival after the under-statement of last year's fest?