In a first for South Korea, critically acclaimed director Bong Joon Ho will serve as the head of the film festival’s seven-person jury for 2021.
Bong is well known for his hit films including “Snowpiercer” and the Oscar-winning “Parasite“, both of which garnered him attention from the organisers of the prestigious event. Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera has praised the Korean filmmaker as “one of the most authentic and original voices in worldwide cinema”, and has stated that Bong’s appointment as Jury President comes as a “pleasure and an honor to be able to share the joy of this moment with the countless admirers, throughout the world, of his extraordinary movies.”
Bong himself has expressed his honour “to be woven into [the film festival’s] beautiful cinematic tradition” and that “as president of the jury — and more importantly as a perpetual cinephile — [he’s] ready to admire and applaud all the great films selected by the festival.”
The appointment to the position comes as yet another history-making milestone for the director on the international film scene. Bong has made his mark on cinema and become a source of pride for his home country – a feat that was highlighted by the multitude of awards won for his most recent film “Parasite”. Being the director of the first foreign-language film to score a Best Picture trophy, perhaps it’s a natural next step for Bong to continue crossing cultural barriers in the world of cinema.
In the spirit of last year’s event, the 78th Venice Film Festival will again take place as an in-person event despite the threat of a pandemic. Bong will be taking the reigns from 2020’s Jury President, our very own Cate Blanchett. Fans of the director are cheering at the news, with some taking it as foreign language films and filmmakers being shown the same level of respect as their English-language counterparts. The festival is scheduled to be held later in the year, from September 1st to 11th.
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