Cannes Film Festival announces 2025 president of the jury, french actress Juliette Binoche
As we start to warm up to a new edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the event has released its first taste its 2025’s edition.
On Monday, Feb 3rd, Cannes Film Festival announced the president of the jury for its new round of competition, french actress Juliette Binoche. Her name follows another female president, last year’s Greta Gerwig, film director. For the first time in the festival’s 78 years, two female professionals have succeeded in the coveted position as head of the comittee that will deliberate on the Palm D’Or recipients, in May.
This yeah, Cannes Film Festival will celebrate its new edition in dates from May 13th to 24th at the French Riviera destination.
Binoche’s appointment comes 40 years after her first appearance at the film festival, back in 1985 with the film “Rendez-vous”, from director André Téchiné. “In 1985, I walked up the Steps for the first time with the enthusiasm and uncertainty of a young actress; I never imagined I’d return 40 years later in the honorary role of President of the Jury. I appreciate the privilege, the responsibility and the absolute need for humility”, the actor has said in the official announcement.
With more than 70 films on her back and 40 years of a starred career, Juliette Binoche also won the coveted Palm D’Or as Best Actress for “Certified Coppy”, from director Abbas Kiarostami, in 2010.
The event also celebrated her legacy offscreen: “The echoes of the world resonate through this committed citizen’s voice. Education, undocumented immigration, or human rights in Iran (she protested in Cannes against the imprisonment of Jafar Panahi, and brandished a placard with his name on stage) the brand-new President of the European Film Academy also stands in the essential wake of the #MeToo movement: she shares generously and responsibly the unsettling experiences of her beginnings. She also regularly uses her influence to raise awareness of the ecological dangers threatening our planet”, as mentioned on the official announcement.
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Juliette Binoche is one of France’s most acclaimed actresses, known for her versatility, emotional depth, and ability to balance mainstream and independent films across multiple languages and industries. Her career spans over four decades, earning her recognition as one of the greatest European actresses of her generation.
Binoche began acting in French theater and television before making her film debut in Liberty Belle (1983). Her breakthrough came with André Téchiné’s Rendez-vous (1985), which showcased her raw talent and won her critical acclaim. She gained international recognition with Jean-Luc Godard’s Hail Mary (1985) and Philip Kaufman’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), where she starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in a film that cemented her reputation outside France.
In the 1990s, Binoche became a sought-after international star. She collaborated with renowned Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski on The Double Life of Véronique (1991) and Three Colors: Blue (1993), the latter earning her the Venice Film Festival’s Best Actress award and a César Award. Her role as a grieving widow in Blue is considered one of her finest performances.
Hollywood soon took notice, and she starred in The English Patient (1996), a sweeping romantic drama that won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This solidified her as a global star while allowing her to maintain her European artistic sensibilities.
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Juliette Binoche at Cannes film festival, 1985 pic.twitter.com/dJfpBJEZB9
— Best of Juliette Binoche (@binochedaily) September 11, 2018
Rather than fully embracing Hollywood, Binoche continued to work in diverse international productions. She won further acclaim in Chocolat (2000), where she played a free-spirited chocolatier opposite Johnny Depp. The film was a commercial hit and earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actress.
She took on challenging roles in films such as Michael Haneke’s Caché (2005), Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy (2010), and David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis (2012). Certified Copy won her the Best Actress award at Cannes, making her the first actress to have won major acting awards at Cannes, Venice, and Berlin.
Binoche has remained a force in cinema, starring in a mix of auteur-driven films and mainstream projects. She worked with Claire Denis in Let the Sunshine In (2017), a critically acclaimed romantic drama, and appeared in the blockbuster Godzilla (2014), proving her ability to move between art-house and commercial cinema.
More recently, she starred in Both Sides of the Blade (2022) and The Taste of Things (2023), a sensual culinary romance that won Best Director at Cannes. She continues to work with top directors while maintaining her reputation for intelligence and emotional nuance in her performances.
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