Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o will head the Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024.
The Berlin International Film Festival is considered one of the three major film festivals in the world, alongside Venice and Cannes. It is also the largest based on attendance.
Organizers announced to place Kenyan-born actress Lupita Nyong’o as president of the Jury on Monday, December 12, 2024.
Berlinale directors Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian shared their stances on Nyong’o’s selection. Rissenbeek emphasized Nyong’o’s versatility in assuming diverse projects and audiences. She also recognized her consistent and recognizable portrayal of film characters.
The directors said in a statement, “Nyong’o embodies what we like in cinema: versatility in embracing different projects, addressing different audiences, and consistency to one idea that is quite recognizable in her characters, as diverse as they may look.”
Lupita Nyong’o shot to stardom after her Oscar-winning performance as brutalized slave Patsy in Steve McQueen’s historical drama “12 Years A Slave”.
Expressing her gratitude, Lupita Nyong’o stated, “I am deeply honored to serve as the President of the International Jury of the Berlin International Film Festival.”
She also posted the good news on her official Instagram page with the caption, “Excited to announce that I have been named Jury President for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival! @berlinale.
The 2024 Berlinale, the first of the year’s major European film festivals, will run from February 15, 2024, to February 25, 2024. It will be the last edition under the leadership of executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian.
Typically, organizers would name the rest of the Jury closer to the beginning of the event. This year, a seven-member jury under actor Kristen Stewart gave the top Golden Bear award to French director Nicolas Philibert’s documentary “On the Adamant.”
