Joel and Ethan Coen first made their mark on the Cannes Film Festival in 1991, when they strolled home with the Palme d’Or for the remarkable Barton Fink. Since then, they have won the event’s Best Director prize twice – for Fargo and The Man Who Wasn’t There – and more recently, the Grand Jury Prize for Inside Llewyn Davis. The 68th Cannes Film Festival – scheduled to run from May 13th to May 24th, 2015 – will be a chance for the legendary duo to view the proceedings from the other side of lectern, however, as they jointly preside over the Festival Jury for the first time.
To celebrate its announcement, the Cannes Film Festival organizers issued a press release, detailing its plans.
“For the first time in the history of the Festival de Cannes, not one but two leading figures will chair the Jury. Indeed, American filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen have accepted the invitation from President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Fremaux to become the Presidents of the 68th edition of the Festival.
“’We look forward to returning to Cannes this year,” Joel and Ethan Coen said from the Hail Caesar! film shoot with George Clooney, Christophe Lambert, Scarlett Johnasson, Tilda Swinton, Josh Brolin and Channing Tatum. ‘We welcome, as always, the opportunity to watch movies there from all over the world. Cannes is a festival that has been important to us since the very beginning of our career. Presiding over the Jury is a special honour, since we have never heretofore been president of anything. We will issue further proclamations at the appropriate time.’
“2015 is the celebration of 120 years since the invention of the Lumiere cinematograph, and the Festival de Cannes will be pleased to recognise through the Coens, the work of all ‘cinema brothers’ who, since Louis and Auguste Lumiere, have enriched its history. The festival has also had the opportunity to welcome ‘brothers’ in a great way: like Joel and Ethan who won the Palme d’Or in 1991, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani received it in1976, as well as Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne in 1998 and 2005.
“The Festival de Cannes will take place from Wednesday 13th until Sunday 24th May 2015. The composition of the Official Selection and the members of the Jury will be unveiled in mid-April.”
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