Bernardo Bertolucci, the director of The Dreamers, Last Tango in Paris, The Last Emperor, Stealing Beauty, and many other great films is going to be the president of the jury for this year’s Venice Film Festival as stated by the organizers today. They also defined Bertolucci as “one of the most influential in cinema history.”
Bertolucci will be deciding who gets to bring the Golden Lion to their home from the 70th Venice Film Festival, which will start on August 28, 2013.
“I cheerfully accept to chair the jury of the 70th Venice International Film Festival.” stated Bertolucci. “Over a handful of days, I am being given the opportunity to see the most interesting work being done in filmmaking around the world. My friend and film buff Alberto Barbera [Director of the Venice Film Festival] has the knack of discovering the most mysterious niches of filmmaking in the most mysterious countries in the world. This is my second time. In 1983 the Venice Film Festival was celebrating its 40th edition. My jury, composed almost entirely of directors, could not help but award the Golden Lion to Jean-Luc Godard, to whom we all owed so much and who had never won an important prize in his life. At the time what I wanted from films was surprise and enjoyment. I haven’t changed much since then.”
Bertolucci had previously headed the jury in 1983. Winner of the Golden Lion that year was Jean-Luc Godard with Prenom Carmen (First Name: Carmen).
Bertolucci started out working with Pier Paolo Pasolini on Accattone in 1961 and his latest film Me and You came out in 2012.
Image Credit: Guido MARZILLA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
