Cate Blanchett, the President of the Jury of the Festival de Cannes

"I have been to Cannes in many guises over the years; as an actress, producer, in the marketplace, the Gala-sphere and in Competition," she declared, "but never solely for the sheer pleasure of watching the cornucopia of films this great festival harbours."

 Cate Blanchett follows Pedro Almodóvar, Jury President of the 70th edition, whose jury awarded the Palme d'or to The Square by Swedish director Ruben Östlund.

 "I am humbled by the privilege and responsibility of presiding over this year's jury," she continued. "This festival plays a pivotal role in bringing the world together to celebrate story; that strange and vital endeavour that all peoples share, understand and crave."

 
Pierre Lescure, Festival de Cannes President and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, said: "We are delighted to welcome such a rare and unique artist whose talent and convictions enrich both screen and stage. Our conversations from this autumn tell us she will be a committed President, a passionate woman and a big-hearted spectator."
 

Cate Blanchett is one of those actors for whom performing is a permanent delight, whatever the role she takes to stage or screen. In film, always under the eye of great directors, she switches between independent ventures and lavish productions, and appears in the credits of all notable contemporary English-language cinema: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson, Benjamin Button by David Fincher, Babel by Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Life Aquatic by Wes Anderson, The Good German by Steven Soderbergh, Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch. To this non-exhaustive list, we must add Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, Sally Potter, Ridley Scott, Woody Allen and Todd Haynes.

 When she is not on screen, Blanchett's commitment to the theatre all over the world is palpable. Alongside her producing partner Andrew Upton, she was CEO and co-Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013 and Blanchett has won awards for her work on stage in New York, Washington, London, Paris (she performed in Jean Genêt's The Maids alongside Isabelle Huppert, Jury President in 2009) and also in Sydney, of course, where she soared in Liv Ullman's production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Cate Blanchett is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where she focuses on issues of statelessness for refugees around the world.
 
The Festival de Cannes 2018 will take place from May 8th - 19th and, exceptionally, will open on a Tuesday and end on a Saturday.