Australian actor Cate Blanchett will be the President of the Jury of the 71st edition of Cannes Film Festival, which will take place May 8-19, 2018. She follows Pedro Almodóvar, Jury President of the 7oth edition whose jury awarded the Palme d’or to “The Square” by Swedish director Ruben Östlund.

“I have been to Cannes in many guises over the years; as an actress, producer, in the marketplace, the Gala-sphere and in Competition but never solely for the sheer pleasure of watching the cornucopia of films this great festival harbors,” Blanchett said. “I am humbled by the privilege and responsibility of presiding over this year’s jury. This festival plays a pivotal role in bringing the world together to celebrate story; that strange and vital endeavor that all peoples share, understand and crave.”

“We are delighted to welcome such a rare and unique artist whose talent and convictions enrich both screen and stage,” Festival de Cannes President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux said in a joint statement. “Our conversations from this autumn tell us she will be a committed President, a passionate woman and a big-hearted spectator.”

Cate Blanchett on the big screen

Blanchett is one of those actors for whom performing is a permanent delight whatever the role she takes to stage or screen. In films, always under the eye of great directors, she switches between independent ventures and lavish productions, and appears in the credits of all notable contemporary English-language cinema including “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by Peter Jackson, “Benjamin Button” by David Fincher, “Babel” by Alejandro González Iñárritu, “The Life Aquatic” by Wes Anderson, “The Good German” by Steven Soderbergh and “Coffee and Cigarettes” by Jim Jarmusch.

Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, Sally Potter, Ridley Scott, Woody Allen and Todd Haynes are also among the directors Blanchett has worked with. The actor was previously seen in the Marvel super-production “Thor: Ragnarok” and in her next appearance on the big screen, she will play Lou in “Ocean’s 8,” the first chapter in an entirely female saga produced by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Set to hit theaters on June 8, 2018, “Ocean’s 8” is directed by Gary Ross. Among Blanchett’s co-stars are Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter.

After “Ocean’s 8,” Blanchett will appear in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Maria Semple’s “Where’d You Go Bernadette,” directed by Richard Linklater. She can then be seen in “The House with a Clock in its Walls,” directed by Eli Roth.

In 2014, Blanchett won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in “Blue Jasmine” by Woody Allen, which came in addition to the Oscar she was awarded in 2004 for best supporting actress in “The Aviator” by Martin Scorsese, in which she played an unforgettable Katharine Hepburn. It was the first time that an actress won an Oscar for playing another actress who also had won an Oscar.

In 2015, Blanchett received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance in “Carol” by Todd Haynes. She co-produced the film, which was also presented in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2008, Blanchett received two Oscar nominations. These were Best Actress for “Elizabeth the Golden Age” by Shekhar Kapur with whom she collaborated 10 years earlier in “Elizabeth” and Best Supporting Actress for “I’m Not There” by Todd Haynes.

This made Blanchett one of the only five actors in the history of the Academy Awards to have been nominated for both categories in the same year. For “I’m Not There,” she won the Best Actress prize at the Mostra in Venice, Italy.

Cate Blanchett onstage

When Blanchett is not on screen, her commitment to the theater all over the world is palpable. Alongside her producing partner Andrew Upton, she was the CEO and co-Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013.

As a theater actor, Blanchett has won awards for her work in New York, Washington, London and Paris where she performed in Jean Genêt’s “The Maids” alongside Isabelle Huppert, the Cannes Film Festival Jury President in 2009. She also performed in Sydney where she soared in Liv Ullman’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Cate Blanchett’s awards

In 2012, Blanchett was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister for Culture and also the Centenary Medal for Service to Australian Society, both for her significant contribution to the arts. In 2015, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.

In 2017, Blanchett was made a Companion in the Order of Australia. She is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where she focuses on issues of statelessness for refugees around the world.