Lebanese filmmaker Audrey Diwan, and Iranian actor Leila Hatami have been announced as jury members of the 79th Venice Film Festival, taking place from August 31 to September 10 this year.
Diwan is a film director and screenwriter who has crafted storylines and written scripts for 11 movies since 2008 while being the director for two. With a lifetime of experience in film and a strong social purpose driving her creativity, the talented filmmaker’s opinion on the jury could be influential while bringing a brand new perspective. Meanwhile, Hatami is best known for her performance in the award-winning film A Separation. While her initial expertise was mechanical engineering, the actor transferred to a whole other field and soared to heights in the film industry by winning the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress at Berlin Film Festival. Hatami was also invited to the Cannes Film Festival in 2013.
These Middle Eastern creatives will be joined by Oscar-winning actor Julianne Moore, prolific in the film industry since the early 1990s. The jury will comprise three women and four men this year including film director Leonardo Di Costanzo, an Italian director who has led the vision for classic films since 1958. His presence will be gracing the jury with vast historic knowledge of the film industry and a trip down the traditional art of filmmaking. Nobel prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, Argentinian director and producer Mariano Cohn, and lastly Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen will complete the incredibly talented team of the international jury of the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
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