George Miller to head Cannes jury

George Miller will serve as president of the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival, the fest announced on Monday.

It will be the Australian filmmaker's second year in a row on the Croisette. Last year, his post-apocalyptic blockbuster “Mad Max: Fury Road” unspooled in an out-of-competition Cannes berth, garnering major critical acclaim en route to more than $375 million in worldwide box office.

The Warner Bros. release is presently nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best director and best picture for Miller. He previously won an Oscar for best animated feature for “Happy Feet” (2006), and received nominations for producing and writing “Babe” (1995) and for writing “Lorenzo's Oil” (1992).

Miller is the latest high-profile English-language director to preside over the jury, following Joel and Ethan Coen last year, Jane Campion in 2014, and Steven Spielberg in 2013. He has served on two previous Cannes competition juries: in 1988 under president Ettore Scola, and in 1999 under president David Cronenberg.

Source: Variety