Gilles Jacob

Not to be confused with Giles Jacob.
Gilles Jacob
Born22 June 1930 (1930-06-22) (age 94)
Paris, France
OccupationFilm critic

Gilles Jacob (born 22 June 1930) is a French film critic and essayist, who served as president of the Cannes Film Festival between 2001 and 2014.

Life and career

Born in Paris, the son of an entrepreneur, Jacob studied at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, having Claude Chabrol as a schoolmate.[1][2] At 17 years old he co-founded a short-lived cinema magazine, Raccords.[1] He then collaborated as a film critic and journalist with several publications, including Cinéma [fr], Les Nouvelles littéraires and L'Express.[1][2]

In 1976 he was named deputy delegate general of the Cannes Film Festival, before becoming delegate general in 1978, and finally becoming president of the festival from 2001 to 2014.[3][2] He stayed in the festival's board of directors until 2018, and since then he served as member of the General Assembly of the festival.[3] Among his initiatives, were the foundation of the Un Certain Regard selection, the Caméra d'Or award, and the Cinéfondation.[1]

During his career Jacob received various honours and accolades, notably the Legion of Honour.[4] He served as a juror at the 47th Venice International Film Festival.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Seguret, Olivier (7 May 2001). "Portrait - Il aura tout vu". Libération (in French). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Vulser, Nicole (13 May 2008). "Gilles Jacob, le commandeur de Cannes". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Gilles Jacob n'a pas «été écarté» assure la direction du festival de Cannes". Le Figaro (in French). 6 March 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Légion d'honneur : Gilles Jacob, Renaud Lavillenie et François Pervis décorés". RTL (in French). 20 April 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  5. ^ Aspesi, Natalia (16 September 1990). "Baruffe a Venezia". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 16 January 2023.