Puerto Rican actor, Benicio Del Toro, will head the jury of the Un Certain Regard segment at Cannes Film Festival this year, organisers have announced.
The 51-year-old actor has had a long-standing relationship with the festival, which merges glamour with a showcase of best of cinema from around the globe.
“The man who will preside over the fate of the Un Certain Regard jury is not only a film lover but a brilliant actor, entirely devoted to his art,” festival organisers said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Born in Puerto Rico, raised in Pennsylvania, he is an artist who knows no boundaries.”
Del Toro won the award for best actor for his role as Che Guevara in Steven Soderbergh’s two-part film Che at Cannes in 2008.
He has also attended special screenings of his films The Usual Suspects, The Pledge and Sicario. His directorial debut, El Yuma, which was a part of anthology film 7 Days in Havana, was selected for the Un Certain Regard programme in 2012.
Uma Thurman was the jury president of Un Certain Regard last year. The Cannes festival this year runs from May 8 to May 19.
A second competition within the Official Selection, the segment will feature 20 original and unique titles.
Australian Cate Blanchett is the president of the Jury for 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
