The Cannes Film Festival has named Tony nominee and two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett as the President of the Jury of the 71st festival, scheduled to take place in May. The Australian actor is the 12th woman to take on the role in the prestigious festival’s history.
“I have been to Cannes in many guises over the years; as an actress, producer, in the marketplace, the Gala-sphere and in Competition,” Blanchett said in an online statement, “but never solely for the sheer pleasure of watching the cornucopia of films this great festival harbors.”
The Australian actor earned a Tony nomination last year for her performance in The Present. While the production marked her Broadway debut, she boasts a prolific stage career. Alongside her producing partner Andrew Upton, she was CEO and co-artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013, and has been seen onstage in New York, Washington, London, Paris, and in Sydney.
Read: CATE BLANCHETT TO STAR IN ALL ABOUT EVE IN THE WEST END