2018 Cannes: ‘Nocturama’ director Bertrand Bonello to chair the Cinéfondation and short films jury
French filmmaker Bertrand Bonello (Tiresia, L’Apollonide, Saint Laurent) will succeed Christian Mungiu to chair the Cinéfondation and short films Jury of the 71st edition of the Festival de Cannes.
From his very first film (Something Organic, 1998) to Nocturama (2016), Bertrand Bonello has occupied a unique place in the cinematographic landscape. His filmography includes seven feature films and eight short films, all of them highly distinctive. Since 2003, his films have been screened in Competition at the Festival de Cannes: Tiresia (2003), House of Tolerance (2011) and Saint Laurent (2014), which was France’s Oscar submission this year.
“This year will be presided over by one of the greatest contemporary directors, an iconoclastic and unique artist,” said Gilles Jacob. “And besides his art, his genuine humanity continues to shine to this day.”
Trained as a classical musician, Bonello writes the scripts and composes the music for all of his films. “What do we expect from young people, unknown filmmakers and early films? Let them shake us up, let them make us look at what we’re unable to see, let them enjoy the freedom, the sharpness, the recklessness and the daring that we sometimes no longer possess. The Cinéfondation has been working for 20 years to make these voices heard and I’m extremely proud this year to be able to accompany them,” he said.
The 71st Cannes Film Festival runs May 8-19th.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 53rd Annie Awards: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Makes History with Clean Sweep of 10 Wins - February 21, 2026
- 6th Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) Awards: ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘One Battle After Another’ Take Top Honors - February 21, 2026
- 76th Berlin Film Festival Awards: ‘Yellow Letters’ Wins Golden Bear for Best Film; ‘Queen at Sea’ Nabs Two Among Festival Unrest Over Politics - February 21, 2026
53rd Annie Awards: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Makes History with Clean Sweep of 10 Wins 
6th Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) Awards: ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘One Battle After Another’ Take Top Honors 
76th Berlin Film Festival Awards: ‘Yellow Letters’ Wins Golden Bear for Best Film; ‘Queen at Sea’ Nabs Two Among Festival Unrest Over Politics 
‘Flies (Moscas)’ Review: To Be a Fly on the Wall is to See All in Fernando Eimbcke’s Quiet Family Drama [B-] Berlinale