Director Damien Chazelle to head Venice Film Festival

ROME — Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning director of hit movies La La Land and Whiplash, will head the main competition jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival, organizers said on Friday.

The Franco-American director, screenwriter and producer has close ties to the festival, having opened the prestigious event with two of his films in the past decade — First Man in 2018 and La La Land in 2016.

“I am humbled and delighted to be invited to lead this year’s jury,” he said in a statement after his appointment was announced.

French director Alice Diop, whose first feature-length fiction film, Saint Omer, won the Silver Lion and Grand Jury Prize at last year’s festival, will head the jury to decide who should win the award for a debut film this year.

The 80th edition of the festival, held on the lagoon city’s Lido island, will run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 9. The movies in competition will be announced in July. — Reuters