The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival will be presided over by Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), and includes directors Noémie Lvovsky (France), Daniela Thomas (Brazil),  Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad), and Joachim Trier (Norway). They will be tasked with awarding three prizes to films submitted by students from film schools the world over, which will be presented in the Cinéfondation Selection. 

Abbas Kiarostami, the Iranian director and screenwriter, is one of the greatest directors of contemporary cinema. After rising to international fame with Où est la maison de mon ami ? (1987), Abbas KIAROSTAMI has since presented a number of his films at the Festival de Cannes, including five in Competition: Through the Olive Trees (1994), Taste of Cherry (Palme d’or 1997),  Ten (2002),  Certified Copy (2010) and Like Someone in Love (2012). He is also known for his photography work. He has been interested in the Cinéfondation since its creation in 1998, when he agreed to be a patron of the project alongside Martin SCORSESE.

Noémie Lvovsky, the French director, screenwriter and actress, directed Oublie-moi in 1994, her first feature film, imbued with off-beat humour. She then directed Petites (1997), La Vie ne me fait pas peur (1999), Les Sentiments (2003) and wrote the screenplays for several films by Valeria BRUNI TEDESCHI, Arnaud DESPLECHIN and Philippe GARREL. In 2012, she directed Camille redouble, which was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight and garnered 13 nominations for the César. It met with resounding public and critical acclaim.

Daniela Thomas, the Brazilian director and visual artist, is famed throughout the theatre world for her scenography. In the cinema, she has worked in partnership with Walter SALLES on Terra Estrangeira (1997) and O Primeiro Dia (1998) and the pair also directed Linha de Passe, presented in Competition at the Festival de Cannes in 2008.

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, the Chadian director, took refuge in France, where he studies film and works as a journalist. His first film, Bye Bye Africa, reaped a prize in Venice while Abouna was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight in 2002. He rose to prominence as a director with Daratt, which garnered an award in Venice in 2006.A Screaming Man was presented in Competition at the Festival de Cannes in 2010, where it picked up the Jury Prize. In 2013, he was once again In Competition with Grigris.

Joachim Trier is a young Norwegian director. After his first critically acclaimed film, Reprise (2006), he wrote and directed Oslo, 31 August, a subtle exploration of the problems faced by his generation. Selected for Un Certain Regard in 2011, his talents became known to a much wider audience.

via: Cannes Film Festival
images (l to r):  Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), Noémie Lvovsky (France), Daniela Thomas (Brazil), Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad), and Joachim Trier (Norway)