Oscar-winning writer and director Pedro Almodovar has been chosen to head the jury for the Cannes Film Festival, kicking off May 17.
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The Spanish auteur, who's previously brought five films to the festival, will head the jury he once served on in 1992, when his group selected Bille August's My Best Intentions for the top prize--the Palme d'Or.
In a statement, Almodovar said: "I am aware of the responsibility that entails being the president of the jury and I hope to be up to the job. I can only tell that I'll devote myself, body and soul, to this task, that it is both a privilege and a pleasure."
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Festival organizers added that Almodovar was "a unique and hugely popular artist," whose productions had "carved out an eternal niche in the history of film," from All About my Mother and Volver to Broken Embraces, The Skin I Live In and Julieta.