Cannes' Directors' Fortnight appoints Julien Rejl as Artistic Director

Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival, has appointed Julien Rejl as Artistic Director, succeeding Paolo Moretti, who is in his third and last edition this year.

Rejl was named by the SRF (Societe des realisateurs de films), the governing body of Directors' Fortnight. When announcing the news of Moretti's exit in February, the SRF said it wished "to rethink thoroughly Directors' Fortnight, its name, its singularity, and its strategic and political role," as per Variety,

While the section's International name does not appear to have changed, the SRF suggested renaming it "Quinzaine des Cineastes" in French, to reflect its wish to be "more inclusive and turned towards film and filmmakers in a decisive and firmly political way."

The SRF asserted Rejl's "sheer, communicative, structured and versatile passion is exactly what arthouse cinema will need in the coming years."

"The SRF has been drawn to his firm belief that the Directors' Fortnight needs to remain a space for discovery, boldness, debate and new forms, and that whether it is made by a first-timer or a cinema legend, a film stands out first and foremost through its mise-en-scene," continued the organisation.

In contrast to previous directors elected by the SRF, Rejl does not come from the festival circle. At Capricci, a Paris-based auteur film company, he is responsible for the distribution, international co-productions and international distribution.

"This new identity is first and foremost an opportunity to reaffirm the role and commitment of a selection created by and for filmmakers in 1969: The Fortnight is the label that celebrates the vitality of world cinephilia and places the act of mise-en-scene as the invention of a singular language at the heart of the programming process," said Rejl.

"A home for filmmakers from all over the world, the Fortnight is a privileged space for boldness and risk-taking, in fiction as well as in documentary, open to all genres, in a convivial and non-competitive spirit. Selection is also a reflection, a resonance chamber of contemporary political, economic, social and ecological crises and struggles," he concluded.

Moretti, whose exit came as a surprise, had joined the sidebar in 2019 from the La Roche-sur-Yon Festival, where he had been artistic director since 2014, Variety reports.

The Italian executive took over from Edouard Waintrop, who was also unexpectedly fired in 2018 after seven successful outings. Before Waintrop, Frederic Boyer, who now runs Tribeca and Les Arcs, met a similar fate at Directors' Fortnight.

Meanwhile, the 2023 edition of Cannes' Directors' Fortnight will be held from May 16 to May 23.

( With inputs from ANI )