Lupita Nyong'o Appointed President of 2024 Berlin Film Festival Jury

• Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong'o makes history as the first-ever black person to chair the Berlin Film Festival jury since its inception
• While the festival has several juries, Lupita's jury is responsible for handing out the top, most outstanding and coveted awards
• Elated, the actress took to social media to share the good news, where fans and colleagues flooded her DM with congratulatory messages

Kenyan-Mexican Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong'o has been named the jury president of the 2024 Berlin Film Festival, popularly referred to as Berlinale.

The Berlinale's first black chair

Lupita will replace American actress Kristen Stewart, who headed the festival's 2023 jury.

She becomes the first black jury chair of the international event.

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Taking to her Instagram, the Oscar-winning actress, who recently penned a heartwarming ode to her motherland, Kenya, announced the exciting news.

"Excited to announce that I have been named Jury President for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival! @berlinale," she wrote.

Confirming the appointment, the festival's directors, Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, said that Lupita will bring versatility to the event.

“Happy and proud that Nyong’o had accepted the post, Lupita Nyong’o embodies what we like in cinema: versatility in embracing different projects, addressing different audiences, and consistency to one idea that is quite recognisable in her characters, as diverse as they may look,” they said.

The Berlinale explained

The Berlinale is one of the world's most prestigious public film festivals, running alongside Italy's Venice Film Festival and France's Cannes Film Festival.

Lupita, who suffered a major heartbreak a few months ago, will chair the festival's international jury, which is responsible for awarding the festival's major awards.

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The chair typically has to be an internationally recognisable Cinema personality.

While the festival has several other small juries, due to its massive nature, only the international jury can award the two top awards: the Golden Bear and the Silver Bear.

Four hundred film submissions worldwide are made to the Berlinale every year, with the processing fee ranging from 75 euros (KSh 12,397) to 175 euros (KSh 28,917), depending on the type of film.

The films are previewed across different venues in Berlin, Germany, throughout the festival's 11-day period.

Lupita Nyong'o visits Nigeria

Lupita Nyong'o, who played the character, Nakia, was in Nigeria for the Black Panther premiere.

Responding to a fan's question about when she intended to visit Nigeria, she made a video of herself in the country and shared moments from an event about the film.

In the video, the ebony actress is seen posing with her co-stars, including Danai Gurira, Winston Duke and Letitia Wright.

Source: TUKO.co.ke