Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda selected for Cannes Film Festival jury; ‘Barbie’ director Greta Gerwig becomes chairman

Japanese film director Hirokazu Koreeda has been selected as one of the jury members for the competition section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, which awards the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, the festival association announced Monday. The festival will be held in Cannes, France from May 14. Koreeda becomes 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 running. Greta Gerwig, the American director of the 2023 film ‘Barbie’, will chair the nine-member jury. The awards ceremony will take place on May 25, the last day of the festival.