(Cannes) The Franco-Cambodian director Rithy Panh has decided to resign from the first jury TikTok, official partner of the Cannes Film Festival 2022, believing that the social network does not leave him enough “freedom”, confirming information from the HollywoodReporter.
Posted at 2:01 p.m.
“TikTok must understand that a jury is sovereign”, hammered Rithy Panh to AFP by telephone, explaining: “you can choose films, that’s called the selection, choose the jury, but after let the jury do its job”.
The director, whose feature film rice paddy people is, in 1994, the first Cambodian film presented at the Cannes Film Festival, considered that the platform’s suggestions were “too insistent”. This withdrawal of the jury makes him “sad”, “especially since some films are really of good quality”, he insisted, recalling his “support” for the authors.
For the first collaboration between the favorite social network of young people and the prestigious international festival, the jury had to decide between very short videos (three minutes maximum) by filmmakers from all over the world.
In addition to Rithy Panh, the jury is made up of three other filmmakers (Camille Ducellier, Basma Khalifa and Angèle Diabang) and a TikTok star (Khaby Lame).
The prizes must be awarded on Friday in the presence of Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the Cannes Film Festival.