Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan joins jury at Cannes film festival

CANNES, France – Xavier Dolan is heading back to the Cannes Film Festival, this time as a jury member.

The Quebec filmmaker joins U.S. actor Jake Gyllenhaal and Mexican director Guillermo del Toro as members of the panel, tasked with picking various prize winners including the coveted Palme d’or.

The other jury members are: Spanish actress Rossy de Palma, French actress/director Sophie Marceau, U.K. actress Sienna Miller and Malian musician Rokia Traore.

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen will sit as the two presidents.

Dolan returns to Cannes a year after his film “Mommy” earned the jury prize at the prestigious festival.

The festival opens May 13 with French director Emmanuelle Bercot’s drama “La Tete Haute.”

Dolan has been a Cannes darling since he debuted his first feature film, “I Killed My Mother,” at age 20 in 2009, when it won several awards.

His followups, “Heartbeats” and “Laurence Anyways,” also received enthusiastic receptions when selected for the Un Certain Regard program.

New movies by Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, U.S. director Gus Van Sant and French writer/director Jacques Audiard are among the films competing for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or.

The grand prize will be announced during a festival closing ceremony May 24.