By Charles Mgbolu
Oscar-award-winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o has been made head of the Berlin International Film Festival jury, which begins this week in Germany.
She breaks a record with this selection, as she is the first black person to occupy the role.
The festival has not had a black jury head in its 74-year history, said organisers at the announcement last Thursday.
Festival's directors, Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, said Nyong'o was selected because she radiates ''versatility in embracing different projects, addressing different audiences.’’
Nyong'o will lead the jury in selecting the winning films in the two main categories, Golden and Silver Bears.
At the opening of the event, Nyong'o said she was "greatly honoured" and that the diversity of the jury would enrich the jury's process of deciding on the films to award.
"That's the beauty of bringing people together from different backgrounds, we respond to different things.
"We have a lot of world experience and opinion, and it's going to be interesting. It's probably also going to be spicy," said Nyong'o.
Three African films are among the 20 competing for the top prize, and all tell compelling stories from the continent.
They include ‘’Black Tea’’ by Mauritanian-born Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako, ‘’Who Do I Belong To'' by Tunisian-Canadian director Meryam Joobeur, and the documentary ‘’Dahomey’’ by French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop.
The top five international film festivals—Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance, and Toronto—have often faced criticism for lacking colour or diversity on their juries.
The biggest and second-oldest of these, the Cannes festival, only had its first black jury president in 2020, when American director Spike Lee was chosen.
Lupita Nyong’o's role in the film ''12 Years a Slave'' released in 2013 saw her win the Oscar Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Her African children's fiction picture book ‘Sulwe’ is also a New York Times bestseller.
The Berlin Film Festival runs from Thursday, February 15 to Sunday, February 25, 2024.
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