Quebec actress, director and screenwriter Monia Chokri will serve as president of the Caméra d’Or jury at the 79th Festival de Cannes. She follows Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher in the prestigious role.
The Caméra d’Or honors the best first feature film presented across Cannes selections, including the Official Selection, Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight. The winning debut film will be announced during the festival’s Closing Ceremony on Saturday, May 23.
In a statement, Chokri described the importance of a first film as “a defining moment when the soul seeks its form in images,” calling it “a second birth” for an artist. She added that the more honestly a film reveals itself, the more powerful it becomes.
Known for her bold and contemporary storytelling style, Chokri has built a reputation for creating characters whose flaws and vulnerabilities challenge social norms. Her films often blend emotional, comic and sensual tones, paired with energetic editing and pop-inspired soundtracks.
Chokri made her directing debut in 2013 with the short film An Extraordinary Person, starring Anne Dorval. The film earned awards internationally and launched her career behind the camera.
She later directed the feature films A Brother’s Love, which won the Jury Coup de Coeur prize in the Un Certain Regard section in 2019, and Babysitter in 2022, a satirical look at power dynamics and misogyny.
Her 2023 film The Nature of Love further established her as one of Quebec cinema’s leading voices. Premiering in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, the film later won the César Award for Best Foreign Film. The romantic drama explored love, class divisions and intellectual elitism through the relationship between two people from very different social backgrounds.
While recognized as a filmmaker, Chokri has also remained active as an actress. Her notable screen performances include roles in Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways by Xavier Dolan, as well as Love Me Tender directed by Anna Cazenave Cambet.
She will also return to Cannes this year as an actress in Think Good, the latest film from Géraldine Nakache, which will screen in the Cannes Première section.
Joining Chokri on the Caméra d’Or jury are cinematographer Michel Benjamin, film critic Cédric Coppola, director and screenwriter Marine Francen, and Christophe Massie, deputy CEO of Eclair by Netgem.
