Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay to Join Kate Blanchette at Cannes Jury this Year

Cannes, April 18 :  Women are leading the Cannes Film Festival's Competition jury with filmmakers Ava DuVernay, actors Kristen Stewart and Lia Seydoux joining president Cate Blanchett.

Blanchett, a two-time Oscar winner, is heading the jury that features five women, four men, seven nationalities and five continents. They will reveal the winners on Saturday, May 19 during the Closing Ceremony, festival organisers said in a statement.

Chinese actor Chang Chen, French director Robert Guediguian, Burundian singer Khadja Nin and Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev will also serve as the jury members.

DuVernay is a writer, director, producer and film distributor who is best known for the historical drama "Selma" (2014) and the criminal justice documentary "13TH" (2016). Her most the recent project was Disney's "A wrinkle in Time", a cinematic adaptation of the classic children's novel.

Seydoux, a French actor, rose to fame with "Blue Is the Warmest Colour", which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes. She has acted in films such as "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "Spectre", "The Lobster" and "Midnight in Paris" among others.

Stewart received widespread recognition for "The Twilight Saga" film series. She has appeared in film such as "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012), "Equals" (2015), "Personal Shopper" and "Clouds of Sils Maria" (2014).

Robert Guediguian, an activist filmmaker, achieved critical success with "Marius and Jeannette, which won the Prix Louis-Delluc in 1997. His film credits also include "Marie-Jo et ses deux amours" (2002), "Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars" (2004), "Le Voyage en Armenie" (2007), "Lady Jane" (2008) and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (2011).

Chen, 41, rose to fame with the Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in 2000. He has films like "Happy Together", "2046", "The Grandmaster", "Three Times (2005) and The Assassin" and "The Go Master", to his credits.

Nin, whose music is a mix of occidental pop, African and Afro-Cuban rhythms, received the Prize for Feminine Action by the African Women's League. She gained recognition and success for "Sambolera Mayi Son" ("From me to you').

Zvyagintsev is considered one of the most respected filmmakers in Russian and international cinema. His recent film "Loveless" won the Jury Prize at the 2017 edition of Cannes Film Festival and was among the nominees at the Golden Globe and 90th Academy Awards.

Actor Benicio del Toro will be serving as the president of the Un Certain Regard jury, while Norwegian helmer Joachim Trier will head up the Critics' Week sidebar judges. The 71st Cannes Film Festival will run from May 8-19.