Mad Miller & the Cannes Jury
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 9:05AM Oscar-robbed George Miller is back! Well, not in movie theaters (alas) but as president of this year's Cannes Film Festival competition jury. The announcement of the jury is always a cause for excitement since the list provides an annual eclectic mix of international artists both behind and in front of the camera. For 2016 we have:
President
George Miller (Writer/Director/Producer, Australia) fresh off of his across-the-board triumph Mad Max Fury Road
Jury Members (Alpha Order)
Arnaud Desplechin (Writer/Director, France) His current release is My Golden Days (our interview) and he's also responsible for the sublime double of Kings & Queen (2004) and A Christmas Tale (2008) which are must-see feats of intricate storytelling & actressing
Kirsten Dunst (Actress, US) Little Kiki has long since grown up though she's the youngest member of this jury at 33. There seems to be a renewed appreciation for her talent out there, for which we have Fargo season 2 to thank. But really the artistic renaissance goes back to All Good Things (2010). Though she was all but wasted in Midnight Special (just discussed) she has exciting projects coming including the remake of The Beguiled.
Valeria Golino (Actress/Writer/Director/Producer, Italy) Though Golino hasn't been a major presence in Hollywood since the late 80s/early 90s (Rain Man, Big Top Pee Wee, Hot Shots!) she's kept the career going in her homeland -- recently winning Best Actress in Venice -- and branched out to be a multi-hyphenate threat.
Mads Mikkelsen (Actor, Denmark) we've loved him since his early Danish films and now the whole world does. This is rarely acknowledged but he's the reigning face of Oscar's Foreign Film category having starred in more nominees than anyone else in the past ten years (After the Wedding, The Hunt, A Royal Affair). And 2016 is another big year: he'll chase jury duty with two probable box office behemoths: Rogue One and Doctor Strange this winter. 
László Nemes (Writer/Director, Hungary) has had an incredible year 12 months. His film debut Son of Saul took the Grand Prix last summer at Cannes and then an Oscar and now he's in the jury. What a swift rise. We wonder what he'll do for an encore. He's the second youngest member of the jury - he and Dunst are the only members under 40. 
Vanessa Paradis (Actress/Singer, France) Her most recent film success was with Jean Marc Vallée's Café de Flore (2011) and she's still recording music. You can listen to her on Spotify if you so choose. Do you choose? Most famously (at least stateside) she's Johnny Depp's babymama. Her son with Johnny is only 13 and since he's named after Johnny (John Christopher Depp III) he'll have to go by his middle name or his nickname "Jack" if he wants to follow daddy into showbiz. Their 16 year old daughter has, of course, already started her acting career.
Katayoon Shahabi (Producer, Iran) We aren't familiar with her but she's apparently a mover and shaker in international distribution and Irandian documentaries. Also her company produced the masterpiece A Separation which you know we worship here.
and...
Donald Sutherland (Actor, Canada) Over 50 years in front of the camera now with classics occasionally peppering that gigantic resume. With over 180 credits we assume he just lives on sets.
What do you think of this year's jury?
Reader Comments (16)
What do you think of this year's jury?
Meh.
Outstanding.
A nice mix of talent from various parts of the industry. Whenever I see Donald Sutherland and read a reference to the number of credits he's amassed I can't help but think...all that work, some junk for sure but a lot of excellence as well, and not a single Oscar nomination.
Europe is very well-represented.
It's a little bit glamor-lite, but who cares - you get Dunst, you get Desplechin and you get Donald Effing Sutherland!
White
A little too actor heavy for my taste, would like more perspectives from different aspects of the filmmaking community.
And is Donald Sutherland getting an Honorary Oscar soon? Because it really needs to happen, it's a travesty he's never been nominated.
Can someone refresh my memory: is the jury chosen by the president or by some other voting body?
Weird that Cannes wouldn't have a single Asian jury member two years in a row (unless you count Iran)... Stronger roster than last year, though!
Donald Sutherland is so yesterday. He has not been relevant for many years.
Otherwise, the jury is an interesting mix and should deliver interesting results in the awards distribution. No one should expect difficult or challenging films to come out on top as the jurors are essentially represent the mainstream.
I feel like there is something missing in this years jury. But I can not place it! Does the Iranian juror bring good news for Farhadi?
From a fashion perspective this is going to be fun- because lets face it Cannes is equally about OTT glamour as it is about film, if not more.Vanessa Paradis is almost exclusively going to wear Chanel while Kirsten Dunst may go for a mix of Chanel, Rodarte, Louis Vuitton and maybe Valentino? She's been known to wear a mix of designers but Rodarte and Chanel are always her go to houses, and she's a risk taker! Excited!!!
Also secretly hoping Miller falls for Dunst and casts her in his next movie :P
Fingers crossed Shahabi's presence means a vote for Farhadi for the Palme.
I miss someone from South Korea, China, Japan, Brazil and South Africa
And too many actors
Not as exciting as last year's but still one I can cheer for.
No your right Donald doesn't belong there despite being in a very successful movie franchise these last 5 years and for being with us for 50 yrs making some classic movies Hello Klute,Don't Look Now.Mash etc along the way and he gave us Kiefer,so completely disregard his knowledge and expertise around the movie world,let's get someone like Aaron Taylor Johnson or Zac Efron or better still one of the Kadashians,infact let's have an all under 30 panel then we will have some real opinions..
"So, Kirsten, how was it working with my son on the movie you won your Cannes award for."
"I don't want to talk about it, Donald."