Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher has been appointed president of the Caméra d’Or jury at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which will take place in May 2025. This prestigious award honors the best first feature film presented in the Official Selection, Critics’ Week, or Directors’ Fortnight. Rohrwacher will announce the winner during the Closing Ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, May 24.

Known for her poetic style and sensitive portrayals of youth, nature, and memory, the director expressed her excitement about leading a jury that celebrates cinematic beginnings: “First times are always important and stay with us,” she said. For Rohrwacher, the Caméra d’Or symbolizes those foundational moments in a filmmaker’s life.

Rohrwacher has built a solid career in both fiction and documentary cinema. Her debut, Corpo Celeste (2011), was praised for its delicate depiction of adolescent growth. With Le Meraviglie (2014), she won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, while Lazzaro Felice (2018) and La Chimera (2023) cemented her place at the forefront of European cinema.

Her body of work—often described as blending De Sica’s realism with Fellini’s lyricism—is marked by an exploration of the relationship between past and present, innocence and transformation. In addition to her feature films, she has worked on documentaries such as Futura (2021) and An Urban Allegory (2024), created in collaboration with artist JR.