American director Alexander Pejn will chair the main competition jury of this year's Venice Film Festival, organizers announced today.
Payne's films, including the comedies "The Holdovers," "Sideways" and "The Descendants," have been nominated for a total of 24 Academy Awards, including four for Best Picture and three for Best Director. He has won twice for Best Adapted Screenplay.
"It is a great honor and joy for me to be a member of the jury in Venice. While I share the ambivalence of filmmakers towards comparing films, I deeply respect the nearly century-old tradition of the Venice Film Festival, a festival that loudly celebrates film as an art form," Payne told reporters.
The 82nd Venice Film Festival will be held on the island of Lido from August 27 to September 6. The names of the films in competition will be announced in July.
Payne's 2017 comedy "Downsizing" opened the festival that same year.
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