Sean Penn to head Cannes filmfest jury in 2008

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-03 15:29

PARIS - Sean Penn, the Oscar-winning US actor-turned director once known as Hollywood's "enfant terrible", is to head the jury of the 2008 Cannes filmfest, organisers said in a statement Thursday.

A blunt talker with a sharp political conscience and a career that has gone from strength to strength, Penn seems perfect for the role next May at a film extravaganza as well known for being a window on the world as for its glam and its buzz.

Actor Sean Penn is pictured here during the Hollywood Reporter/Billboard Film & TV Music Conference in Beverly Hills, California, in November 2007. [Agencies]

"In the last few years," said Penn in response, "there has been a rejuvenation of cinema building worldwide, increasingly thoughtful, provocative, moving and imaginative ... A new generation of filmmaking may have begun."

"The Cannes Film Festival has long been the epicentre in the discovery of new waves of filmmakers," he added, "I very much look forward to participating."

The world's paramount movie festival, kicking off on the French Riviera on May 14, wraps up on May 25 with the jury awarding the Palme d'Or prize for best film.

The former Hollywood "bad boy", whose wrenching portrayal of a vengeful father seeking revenge in Clint Eastwood's 2003 movie "Mystic River" earned him an Oscar, is currently full in the spotlight of the film industry.

Now aged 47, Penn's latest go at directing in the harrowing drama "Into The Wild", dominates nominations for this month's Screen Actors Guild Awards, regarded as a key Oscars indicator.

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