The jury will be led by American star Kristen Stewart in February at the Berlin International Film Festival, which is Europe’s first significant film event of the year, according to festival organizers.
The 32-year-old star of the “Spencer” and “Twilight” films will preside over the jury deciding who will get the Golden and Silver Bear top awards at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. In a statement, festival directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian stated, “We’re pleased about Kristen Stewart taking on this esteemed responsibility. She’s one of the most gifted and multifaceted performers of her time. “Kristen Stewart is the ideal bridge between the United States and Europe since she is young, beautiful, and has an outstanding body of work behind her.”
Stewart, regarded as one of Hollywood’s most promising young actors, debuted as a child actor in David Fincher’s “Panic Room” opposite Jodie Foster. She and Robert Pattinson became worldwide celebrities thanks to the five-part “Twilight” series. To explore projects with independent filmmakers on both sides of the Atlantic, both have used their box office viability.
Stewart won the 2015 Cesar Film Award in France for her work with Juliette Binoche in “Clouds of Sils Maria,” becoming her the first American to do so.
With the short film “Come, Swim,” she made her directorial and screenwriting debut two years later. In 2018, she sat on the main jury at the Cannes Film Festival. She received an Academy Award nomination for best actress last year for portraying Princess Diana in Pablo Lauran’s drama “Spencer.” The Berlinale, which will take place from February 16 to 26, is one of Europe’s top three film festivals and acts as the industry’s first yearly launchpad along with Cannes and Venice.
Alcatraz, a Catalan drama about peach farmers, directed by Spanish filmmaker Carla Simon, took home the Golden Bear this year for outstanding film. Three-time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg, 75, was invited to the ceremony to get an Honorary Golden Bear award for lifetime accomplishment, the event’s organizers revealed last month.