TIFF head Piers Handling named juror at Cannes film festival

Canadian arts administrator Piers Handling, the longtime director of the Toronto International Film Festival, has been named a juror for the Cannes Film Festival.

Cannes organizers unveiled on Monday the jurors for its Un Certain Regard program, which celebrates younger filmmakers and innovative works, as well as the jury for the Caméra d'Or, which honours the best work by a first-time filmmaker.

Handling was named a member of the Un Certain Regard panel, headed by Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino and including French actress Julie Gayet, Indian journalist Uma Da Cunha and Swedish journalist Marit Kapla.

French actor and fledgling director Roschdy Zem was named head of the Camera d'Or jury. His colleagues will include cinematographer Diane Baratier, Olivier Chiavassa of the Federation of Film Technicians, director Sandrine Ray, Charles Tesson of the Critics' Syndicate and Edouard Waintrop of Switzerland's Fribourg Film Festival.

Organizers also added Indian actress Sharmilla Tagore to the jury deciding the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or — this year presided over by actress Isabelle Huppert.

The Cannes Film Festival runs May 13-24.