"This has been a really wonderful experience": Jeremy Strong on serving as Cannes jury

Cannes [France], May 25 : Actor Jeremy Strong reflected on his past 11 days as a member of the Cannes Film Festival competition jury, comparing it to the process of choosing a new pope as depicted in the Oscar-nominated film 'Conclave'.

"I feel immeasurably inspired by what I've seen here," Strong said during a press conference after the jury awarded Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" with the Palme d'Or. "It's been so invigorating, and this sort of cumulative tally of the work I'll carry with me," reported Variety.

Strong continued, "This has been a really wonderful experience, a really connected experience with these people it's like 'Conclave' with champagne. It's really great."

Strong served under president Juliette Binoche along with Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Hong Sansoo, Alba Rohrwacher, Leila Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi and Carlos Reygadas. During the presser, the group explained their decision to give the top prize to "It Was Just an Accident," which follows a group of former prisoners in Iran who must decide whether or not to enact revenge on a man they think was their torturous guard. The film marked Panahi's first project since being imprisoned for several months in 2023 for criticizing the Iranian government, according to Variety.

"It's very human and political at the same time because he comes from a complicated country, politically speaking," Binoche said, adding, "When we watched the film, it really stood out. The film springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today. So we thought it was important to give this film the paramount award."

She continued, "Art will always win. What is human will always win. Our creative urge can transform the world."

Strong said that the jury "wanted to recognise films that we felt were transcendent intrinsically as pieces of work," aligning with how Robert De Niro kicked off the festival during its opening ceremony by saying that "fascists should fear art," reported Variety.

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