Kusturica to head Shanghai film festival jury

Serbian director Emir Kusturica. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Serbian director Emir Kusturica is the new jury president for Golden Goblet Award, the top prize at the Shanghai International Film Festival, which will be held this year from June 11-19.

Fu Wenxia, the Shanghai festival's deputy secretary general, made the announcement on the sidelines of the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb 13.

Kusturica, whose name many Chinese moviegoers aren't yet familiar, enjoys a stellar reputation in Europe.

The 62-year-old filmmaker shot to fame with Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, his debut that won the Best First Work Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1981.

He is also one of the few directors to have won French cinematic honor Cannes' Palme d'Or twice.

This will be the 19th edition of the Shanghai festival, which is expected to be attended by world-renowned filmmakers and celebrities. It has grown in profile in the past few years.

In 2015, the festival received 2,096 film entries from 108 countries.

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