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Festival de Cannes: A few hours before the 75th anniversary edition was due to kick off, Vincent Lindon, president of the Feature Films Jury and his jurors, Noomi Rapace, Jeff Nichols, Jasmine Trinca, Joachim Trier, Deepika Padukone, Ladj Ly, Rebecca Hall and Asghar Farhadi, answered questions from journalists. They discussed the responsibilities of their role as jurors.
Pritish Bagdi
Feature Films Jury of the 75th Festival de Cannes © Joachim Tournebize / FDC
Vincent Lindon on the responsibility his jurors are preparing to shoulder:
It is an enormous responsibility, which I've thought about a lot. The only way to shoulder it successfully is to go back to being the viewer you were as a child, and try to do things from the heart. I like to think of it as unscrewing my brain like a light bulb and approaching things with a mind clear of prejudices, with the will to love and accept all the cinemas of the world. I'm not going to deny my pleasure at being here. I am quite simply crazy with joy about it. I am going to make the most of every second.
Asghar Farhadi describing his joy at participating in this 75th edition as part of the Jury:
I am extremely happy. I did not hesitate when I was offered the chance to join in this inspiring experience. It's the third time that I've been contacted to join the Jury and this year the time was right. But this joy that I'm feeling is not so deep as I would like, because of what my country is living through today. The outlook is bleak for the Iranian people: they are exhausted. And I have to admit that does slightly spoil my pleasure at being here.
Ladj Ly discussing the importance of the Festival de Cannes for a film's prospects:
Presenting Les Misérables here and winning an award was an incredible showcase. The Festival de Cannes changes the life of a film - no doubt about it. My film went on a journey that we never dreamed of. When I was offered a place on the Jury this year, I could hardly believe it. I think it gives hope to our young people, who can tell themselves that anything is possible. I'm very happy and I hope we make good choices together.
Deepika Padukone on her responsibility as a juror:
We promised ourselves when we arrived not to feel overwhelmed by the responsibility. But it is true that the cinema is such a powerful tool. It can influence people's lives. We are not here to judge the films or criticise them. The most important thing is to enjoy them.
Joachim Trier discussing the task awaiting the Jury :
I have faith in this group and I think that we are going to have discussions which will be as interesting as they are difficult in order to make our choices. Cannes represents the most sophisticated approach there is to cinema. It's a very great honour to be here.
Jasmine Trinca describing her expectations of this 75th edition:
My career started at Cannes in 2001, with Nanni Moretti's La Chambre du fils (The Son's Room). I was 18. I had no clue about the glamourous side of things. I've been back several times since and I can say that I've grown up with the Festival. So to find myself here again is very moving for me. I will watch the films with respect and admiration. I want to be surprised by a look.
Vincent Lindon on the difficult period the world is going through:
We cannot completely put aside the time we're living through. Of course it might have a bit of an unconscious effect on the way we look at the films. Some of them are very closely related to those issues and others are further away. We will steel ourselves to remain worthy, for the people whose days are more difficult than ours.
