Japan Director Hirokazu Koreeda Selected to be on Cannes Film Festival Jury; ‘Barbie’ Director Greta Gerwig to Preside

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Hirokazu Koreeda

Japanese film director Hirokazu Koreeda has been selected as one of the jury members for the 77th Cannes Film Festival’s competition section, which awards the highest prize of the festival, the Palme d’Or, the festival association announced Monday. The festival will be held from May 14 in Cannes, France. Koreeda will be the second Japanese director to serve on the jury since Naomi Kawase in 2013.

Koreeda is an internationally acclaimed director, and many of his films have been in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, with “Manbiki Kazoku” (“Shoplifters”) winning the Palme d’Or in 2018.

Twenty two films have been selected for this year’s competition section with no Japanese films in the race. Greta Gerwig, the American director of the 2023 movie “Barbie,” will preside over the nine member jury. The award ceremony will be held on May 25, the last day of the festival.