Pierre Lescure will be the new president of the Cannes Film Festival, replacing Gilles Jacob, who will step down after this year’s 67th edition (May 14-25) having held the post since 2001.
The former chief of French broadcaster Canal+ will take up his responsibilities on July 1, when Jacob officially steps down. French Minister of Culture and Communication Aurélie Filippetti broke the news on Twitter that Lescure had been officially elected by the festival board on Tuesday morning.
“Congratulations to Pierre Lescure, voted unanimously as president of the Cannes Film Festival, succeeding Gilles Jacob,” she tweeted.
Other board members at the election also tweeted and posted photos of the meeting. One tweet revealed Lescure had received a unanimous 28 votes. The announcement of Lescure’s election came as little surprise. Celebrity magazine Paris Match controversially broke the news Lescure had clinched the role last week ahead of an official statement from the festival.
