The 62-year-old filmmaker was “shocked, happy, surprised, and proud” at the decision to name him president of the 73rd annual Cannes Film Festival jury.
Spike Lee is the first black president to helm the Cannes Film Festival jury.
“In this life I have lived, my biggest blessings have been when they arrived unexpected, when they happened out of nowhere. When I got the call that I was offered the opportunity to be President of Cannes Jury for 2020, I was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time,” Lee said in a statement. “To me, the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in the world — no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career. You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in world cinema.”
Lee has premiered seven films at the festival, with Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, and BlacKkKlansman debuting as part of the festival’s competitive lineup.
The full list of the 2020 Cannes jury is expected to be announced mid-April.
