According to The Hollywood Reporter, actress Kristen Stewart has officially been named the 73rd Jury President of the Berlin International Film Festival, which is set to take place from February 16-26th, 2023. Much like other globally-recognized film festivals, Berlinale draws filmmakers from across the world to showcase their work and receive prestigious accolades, and the position of jury president has only been held by some of the most renowned actors and directors in filmmaking, such as M. Night Shyamalan, Meryl Streep, and Darren Aronofsky.
The two directors of Berlinale, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, had nothing but praise and adoration to speak of in regard to their nomination of Stewart as their next jury president.
“She’s one of the most talented and multifaceted actors of her generation. From Bella Swan to the Princess of Wales she has given life to everlasting characters. Young, shining and with an impressive body of work behind her, Kristen Stewart is the perfect bridge between U.S. and Europe.”
Kristen Stewart’s Ongoing Journey Upward
As an actress, Kristen Stewart had not only quite an interesting start to her career, but a truly unique journey to reach the Everest-level peak she is now currently at. She went from a non-speaking role in Disney film The Thirteenth Year (1999) at only nine years old, straight to her breakout role alongside the legendary Jodie Foster in David Foster’s 2002 sleeper hit Panic Room. That role would land Stewart her first award nomination. From the get-go she received exemplary mentorship from industry greats like Foster in how to further develop her acting skills.
Over the next few years, she starred in various indie films such as Speak (2004) and Into the Wild (2007). Then, with the sudden astronomical influx of popularity around film renditions of young adult novels, Stewart embarked on arguably the most successful and yet most criticized role experience of her career, Bella Swan in the Twilight (2008) series. The role singularly made Stewart one of the most recognized faces in the movie industry worldwide, and as an actress known for being more socially reserved, for better or worse it gave her a blinding spotlight that would project her career further than she ever anticipated.
After overcoming the personal hurdles such intense fandom granted, Stewart finally found her niche back in the indie scene that allowed her to truly expand upon her acting talents. Her exemplary role as Princess Diana in Spencer (2021) landed her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, turning many heads that may not have looked her way before. She also took on the role of director for a short film called Come Swim (2017), and was on the jury panel at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
