Cannes festival offers presidency to Ethan and Joel Coen

American filmmakers Ethan and Joel Coen have accepted an invitation to be co-presidents of the 68th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. This is the first time in its history that two people will preside.

2015 is the celebration of 120 years since the invention of the Lumière cinematograph, and the Festival de Cannes plans to recognise, through the Coens, the work of all the “cinema brothers” who, since Louis and Auguste Lumière, have enriched its history.

The Cannes Festival has saluted movie “brothers” on several occasions already: notably through Joel and Ethan Coen who won the Palme d’or in 1991 for “Barton Fink”, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani in 1976, as well as Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne twice, in 1998 and in 2005.

Returning to Cannes

“We look forward to returning to Cannes this year”, Joel and Ethan Coen said. “We welcome as always the opportunity to watch movies there from all over the world. Cannes is a festival that has been important to us since the very beginning of our career. Presiding over the Jury is a special honour, since we have never heretofore been president of anything.”

Cannes has indeed been good to the Coens. They have been invited into the Official Selection and have presented nine of their films, often winning the most prestigious prizes: the Palme d’Or in 1991 for “Barton Fink”; the Best Director award in 1996 for “Fargo” as well as for “The Man Who Wasn’t There” in 2001. And in 2013, “Inside Llewyn Davis” won the Grand Prix, from Steven Spielberg.

The pair are currently shooting “Hail Caesar!” with George Clooney, Tilda Sweeton, Scarlet Johanssen and Christophe Lambert.

The Cannes film festival will take place from Wednesday 13 until Sunday 24 May 2015

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