France’s Cannes Film Festival says it has finally snagged Steven Spielberg to serve as president of the award jury.
Gilles Jacob, the festival’s president, recounted how he had been trying to get the award-winning director to head the jury for years — but the American was always working. Finally, this year, Spielberg got in touch.
“When this year I was told ‘E.T., phone home,’ I understood and immediately replied: ‘At last!'” Jacob said in a statement posted on the festival’s website Thursday.
Spielberg, who was nominated but didn’t win the directing Oscar for his biopic “Lincoln” this week, takes the reins from Italian Nanni Moretti. The 66th Cannes festival takes place in the glamorous French Mediterranean resort from May 15 to 26.
Spielberg’s presence will likely give more of an American flavor this year to the Cannes festival, a m๏ฟฝlange of intellectual international cinema and Hollywood glamour. Jury presidents in the festival’s seven-decade history have included such figures as Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman, Roman Polanski and Francis Ford Coppola.
Spielberg has had several films show at Cannes, and “E.T.” had its world premiere there in 1982. His first film, “Sugarland Express,” won best screenplay at Cannes in 1974.
“It is an honor and a privilege to preside over the jury of a festival that proves, again and again, that cinema is the language of the world,” Spielberg was quoted as saying in a statement by the Cannes festival organizers. “The most prestigious of its kind, the festival has always established the motion picture as a cross cultural and generational medium.”
At last year’s Cannes festival, Michael Haneke won the top prize with his stark film about love and death, “Amour.”
Influx of Talent At DAVID New York Includes The Creative Director Duo Of Erin Evon and Jason Burke
Global creative agency DAVID has made seven creative hires in its New York office. Coming aboard are the creative director duo of Erin Evon and Jason Burke; associate creative directors Kelsey Miller, Tori Mortenson and Maris DiTullio; sr. copywriter Adam Goffstein; and sr. art director Victoria Rocha.
All will report to Daniel Lobaton, North America, chief creative officer, and Andrรฉ Toledo, chief creative officer.
Creative directors Evon and Burke have teamed on campaigns for Goldfish, Snyderโs of Hanover, Tide, Shopify, Samsung and Uber Eats. Theyโve been working together for seven years at such NY agencies as R/GA and Saatchi & Saatchi. While at the latter, Evon was one of the creative behind โItโs a Tide Ad,โ the Procter & Gamble Super Bowl takeover that at the Cannes Fest scored a Film Grand Prix, Titanium Cannes Lion and Creative Effectiveness Gold Lion as well as a Grand Effie.
Associate creative directors Miller and Mortenson were most recently at Mekanism working for Jose Cuervo and Quaker Oats. DiTullio had been an associate creative director at Deutsch LA where she worked on Taco Bell. Prior to Deutsch LA, she worked at Crispin Porter+Bogusky on Dominoโs, and RPA on Apartments.com.
Sr. copywriter Goffstein served previously at The Martin Agency and MullenLowe Boston, working for brands like Buffalo Wild Wings and Busch Light. Rocha contributed to award-winning campaigns like Michelob Ultraโs โDreamcasterโ and Spotifyโs โSpreadbeats.โ
The seven new team members join the existing NY contingent in their newly opened office space at the iconic Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
โTalent is at the core of who DAVID is,โ said Lobaton. โWe are a first name agency so... Read More