26/01/2010

The jury at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival (May 12-23, 2010) will be presided by US director Tim Burton, who follows in the footsteps of last year’s president, French actress Isabelle Huppert.

The director, whose film Ed Wood screened in competition at Cannes in 1995, commented on his appointment with a mixture of humour and seriousness that is typical of his style: "After spending my early life watching triple features and 48-hour horror movie marathons, I feel ready for Cannes. It’s a great honour and I look forward, with my fellow jurors, to watching some great films from around the world. When you think of Cannes, you think of world cinema. And as films have always been like dreams to me, this is a dream come true."

Cannes Festival president Gilles Jacob commented: "It’s the first time an artist from the world of animation will preside over the Cannes jury. A filmmaker with a heart of gold and silver hands, Tim Burton is first and foremost a poet. He’s a magician of visual frenzy who turns the screen into a fairy wonderland. We hope his sweet madness and gothic humour will pervade the Croisette, bringing Christmas to all. Christmas and Halloween…".

Meanwhile, delegate general Thierry Frémaux said that this choice would seem "both surprising and obvious, given the way in which Burton has quite subtly imposed his style, hallmark and unparalleled imagination on international cinema. He’s a popular director because he reaches out to his audience, and is a whimsical and brilliant jack-of-all-trades artist."

Burton (51) has 14 features under his belt, including Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Sleepy Hollow, (1999), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Sweeney Todd (2007). His forthcoming film, a 3D adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, will be released in the United States on March 5 and in France on April 7.

(Translated from French)