Ruben Ostlund will be president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023

The Cannes Film Festival has appointed Swedish director and two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund as jury president for the upcoming 76th edition, which runs from May 16 to 27.

Östlund’s jury duty comes exactly 50 years after the late compatriot, actress Ingrid Bergman also played the role in 1973.

“I am happy, proud and humbled to have been entrusted with the honor of President of the Jury for this year’s competition at the Festival de Cannes. Nowhere in the film world is there more anticipation than when the curtain rises on the festival’s competition films,” says Östlund.

“It is a privilege to be there with the connoisseurs of Cannes. I mean it honestly when I say film culture is at its prime. Cinema has a unique aspect – it is where we watch together, and it demands more of what is shown and increases the intensity of the experience. It makes us think differently than browsing dopamine in front of individual screens.”

Ostlund is deeply connected to Cannes.

Five of his six feature films initially celebrated world premieres in Cannes involuntaryhis anthology film on the psychology of group behavior, which debuted in 2008’s Un Certain Regard.

His next job Playwho sparked controversy at home for his portrayal of a gang of Swedish-Somali teenagers preying on weaker white boys, starred in the parallel section Directors’ Fortnight in 2011.

The director returned in 2014 with a dark family comedy set in the French Alps Overpoweringwhich celebrated its world premiere in Un Certain Regard and won the jury prize.

Östlund won the Palme d’Or for social satire on the art world The square and his scathing criticism of the ultra-rich triangle of sadness2017 and 2022 respectively.

The latter title has now taken part in this year’s Academy Awards in the categories of Best Picture, Original Screenplay and Achievement in Direction.

Östlund, who studied film in Gothenburg, made his first feature film The Guitar Mongol in 2004. The film takes place in the fictional city of Jöteborg, modeled after Gothenburg, and revolves around a diverse range of people who live outside the norms.

Among his early feature films, Östlund also won the Berlin Golden Bear for Best Short Film Incident at a bank in 2010.

“By inviting Ruben Östlund as chairman of the jury, the Festival de Cannes wants to recognize films that are uncompromising, open-minded and that constantly demand from viewers to challenge themselves and that the arts constantly reinvent themselves,” says the festival.

“Ruben Ostlund becomes the third two-time Palme d’Or winner to serve as president of the jury, following Francis Ford Coppola and Emir Kusturica, and the first to take on the role a year after his Cannes success. added it.

Östlund said that as chairman of the jury he would emphasize the “social function” of films.

“A good film relates to the collective experience, provokes thought and encourages discussion about what has been seen – so let’s watch together!”

The official selection of the festival will be announced in mid-April.