Barred from presiding over the 2020 edition, due to the covid-19 pandemic, as announced, Spike Lee remained loyal and promised to accompany the Festival until his return to the Croisette, read in the festival's announcement, released today. For the organisation, Spike Lee makes the "Festival de Cannes inaugurate this new decade with an exceptional president of the jury, since he is one of the greatest directors of his generation, in addition to being a screenwriter, actor and editor".

"Over 30 years, Spike Lee has accurately translated the issues of his time, in a contemporary way without neglecting lightness or fun" and, during "the uncertain months that have passed, he never stopped supporting us", says the Cannes Festival president Pierre Lescure, cited in the statement. "This support is finally materialising and we could not have expected a more powerful personality to question our troubled times", he underlines. “The enthusiasm and passion for cinema [by Spike Lee] gives us more energy to prepare for the great Festival that everyone is waiting for. We are very impatient ”, confided the delegate general of the event, Thierry Frémaux.

According to the organization, the contours of the 74th edition of the festival will be outlined over the next few weeks. The official selection and composition of the jury will be announced in early June. Spike Lee will deliver the Palme d'Or at the end of the festival, in Cannes, on 17 July, the organizers guarantee today.

The postponement to July of this edition of the festival had already been announced at the end of last January, by the direction of the event, on its page on the social network Twitter. The 74th edition of the festival was scheduled for the days from 11 to 22 May, but was rescheduled for the period from 06 to 17 July. Last year, the Cannes festival also postponed the usual edition in May and transformed the event into a special version of programming, short, in October.