LOS ANGELES, Jan 9 — Oscar-crowned British actor Jeremy Irons will head the jury at the 70th anniversary of the Berlin film festival this year, organisers said today.
“Jeremy Irons has embodied some iconic characters that have accompanied me throughout my journey in cinema,” Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian said in a statement, adding he was “proud to welcome him” to the festival.
“It is with feelings of great pleasure and not inconsiderable honour that I take on the role of president of the international jury,” Irons said.
Active in film since the 1980s after beginnings in the theatre, Irons won both the Best Actor Academy Award and the Golden Globe in 1991 for his role in Reversal of Fortune by Barbet Schroeder.
Over the decades he has appeared in dozens of productions across all kinds of films, ranging from blockbusters like Die Hard: With A Vengeance to the controversial film adaption of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita.
His most recent film at the Berlinale was Night Train to Lisbon by Bille August in 2013, while he is currently on US small screens in HBO’s comic book-based series Watchmen.
This year’s edition of the film festival runs from February 20 to March 1. — AFP-Relaxnews
