Award-winning Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah to lead Cannes festival short film jury

Award-winning Egyptian film director Yousry Nasrallah has been selected to head the jury of the short film contest at the upcoming round of the Cannes Film Festival, it was announced on Thursday.

The festival is due to take place next month in France.

The jury will be tasked with selecting one of the nine films in the competition for the Short Film Palme D’Or, which will be awarded at the festival's closing ceremony on 28 May.

It will also award three La Cinef prizes to the best of the 16 films from the film schools presented this year, the organisers said.  

Led by Nasrallah, 69, the jury also includes Canadian actress Monia Chokri, Belgian director Laura Wandel, French actor a Félix Moati, and French film critic Jean-Claude Raspiengeas.

The 75th Festival de Cannes is due to take place from 17 – 28 May.

Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah studied economics and political science at Cairo University before he joined the Higher Institute of Cinema in Cairo.

Nasrallah went on to become a film critic and assistant director in Beirut. Upon returning to Cairo in 1982, he worked with late international filmmaker Youssef Chahine before independently working on his first film.

Even though Nasrallah has a limited filmography, his works have been locally and internationally acclaimed and awarded several prizes.

Nasrallah's films are known for their complicated plots and for tackling a wide range of themes. Among his most recognised films is his eponymous book-to-screen adaptation of the Lebanese writer Elias Khoury’s novel on the Palestinian cause ‘Bab El-Shams’ (The Gate of Sun) which was among the Cannes Festival’s Official Selection in 2004.

Nasrallah went on to film ‘Geninet El-Asmak’ (The Aquarium) in 2008, which is a representation of complex relationships and the inner struggle of human beings.

In 2009, Nasrallah directed ‘Ehky ya Shahrazad’ (Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story) which portrays violence against women in different social classes. The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival.

His film 'Baad El-Mawkea' (After the Battle), inspired by the events of the 25 January 2011 Egyptian revolution, was featured at the Cannes festival in 2012.