Director Emir Kusturica heads film festival jury

Bosnian director Emir Kusturica, whose film Underground won the top award in Cannes in 1995, will head the jury of this year's film festival in the French Riviera town in May.

Kusturica, 50, also won Cannes' Palme d'Or award in 1985 for When Father Was Away on Business. After the success last year of his film Life Is a Miracle, Kusturica accepted the offer to head the jury at the festival, running from May 11-22.

"Now it is up to me to defend the festival values," the director said. "I will work as jury president to put aesthetics and artistic values at the heart of the festival."

The festival jury was headed last year by United States director and actor Quentin Tarantino, whose film Pulp Fiction won the top prize in 1994. Last year's jury gave the festival's top award to US film-maker Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

- AGENCIES