Writer and director Olivier Assayas has been named president of the international jury of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
Assayas directed Kristen Stewart in Clouds of Sils Maria, for which she became the first American actress to win a Cesar award. He recently teamed up with Stewart again for Personal Shopper, which won him the best director honor last year in Cannes.
He has worked with a variety of leading actresses throughout his career, including Emmanuelle Beart, Maggie Cheung, Virginie Ledoyen and Connie Nielsen.
Assayas, in conjunction with the international jury, will pick the winner of the festival’s grand prize, the Golden Leopard, as well as a special jury prize and the Leopards for best direction, best actress and best actor.
Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah will preside over the jury of the festival’s present section. And French actress Sabine Azema will serve as president of the filmmakers of tomorrow section jury, which honors the best new directors of the festival.
The 70th anniversary of the Locarno Film Festival takes place Aug. 2-12. The full lineup of films will be announced July 12.
