Mike Leigh to chair Berlinale

BERLIN - Agence France-Presse

British director Mike Leigh will chair the jury of next year’s 62nd Berlin film festival, one of Europe’s top cinema showcases, organizers said Friday. The 68-year-old veteran film-maker, a master of bittersweet realizm in hits such as “Secrets and Lies” and “Happy-Go-Lucky,” will lead a panel vetting contenders from around the world for the Golden and Silver Bear top prizes.

“Over the course of his nearly 40-year film career, Mike Leigh has distinguished himself as one of the most outstanding film-makers of auteur cinema and protagonists of New British Cinema,” the festival said in a statement.

“Leigh portrays British society in a bluntly realistic but humorous style. His films have received countless international awards and several Oscar nominations.”

The event that will organized between Feb. 9 and 19, ranks with Cannes and Venice among the top European film festivals.

This year, a jury led by Italian-American actress Isabella Rossellini crowned the harrowing Iranian drama “Nader and Simin: A Separation” by Asghar Farhadi as best picture.