“Memoirs of Geisha” star Gong Li to lead Shanghai Fest jury

PanARMENIAN.Net - Top Chinese actress Gong Li is to head the main competition jury at next month’s Shanghai International Film Festival (June 14-22), Variety said.

She will be the first woman to head the Golden Goblet jury and the first Chinese after three years of foreign jury presidents (Tom Hooper, Luc Besson and Danny Boyle).

While a student at the Central Drama Academy, she landed the leading role in Zhang Yimou’s directorial debut “Red Sorghum,” which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin festival in 1988. Since then she has played major roles and accumulated awards for films including “The Story of Qiu Ju,” “Farewell My Concubine” and “Miami Vice.”

In 1997 she was on the jury at Cannes. She has also served as jury president at the Berlin, Venice and Tokyo festivals.

Other jury members will be revealed in the coming weeks.