Actress Kristen Stewart will be president of the jury at the next Berlinale. The 32-year-old is to lead the international jury next year, as the Berlin Film Festival announced on Friday. "She is one of the most talented and versatile actors of her generation." According to the Berlinale, Stewart will be the youngest person ever to head the jury at the Berlin Film Festival.
"From Bella Swan to the Princess of Wales, she breathed life into unforgettable characters," said Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, the Berlinale's management duo. "Young, aspiring and with an impressive body of work behind her, Kristen Stewart is the perfect link between the US and Europe."
Stewart became known with the film adaptations of the "Twilight" books. In it she played the high school student Bella Swan, who falls in love with the vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson). Stewart also starred in the action film Charlie's Angels. You can often see her in art house cinema. In productions like "The Clouds of Sils Maria" and "Jean Seberg - Against all Enemies", for example. In "Spencer" she played Lady Di. The film told about a Christmas meeting of the British royal family. She is currently in theaters with the sci-fi film Crimes of the Future.
Alongside Cannes and Venice, the Berlinale is one of the world's major film festivals. The next edition is scheduled for February 16-26. With her job, Stewart now joins other well-known filmmakers. Actresses such as Meryl Streep, Juliette Binoche and Isabella Rossellini have already served as jury presidents, as have actor Jeremy Irons and directors Wong Kar-Wai and Werner Herzog.
The international jury decides on the winners in the competition. Director M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense", "Glass") presided over the past festival. At that time, the drama "Alcarràs" was awarded the Golden Bear. Which films are running in the competition this time is to be announced in January.
In any case, Stewart has known the film business for a long time. The Berlinale announced that she made her screen debut when she was nine. Only three years later she stood in front of the camera alongside Jodie Foster in David Fincher's "Panic Room". In Cannes she was already part of the festival jury. As a director, she has already implemented shorter projects. According to the Berlinale, Stewart is now preparing her directorial debut with a feature film - an adaptation of the book "The Chronology of Water" by Lidia Yuknavitch.
