In 2018 Nadine Labaki won the Jury Prize at Cannes for “Capernaum,” her third feature film. This year she’ll be returning to the prestigious fest as the President of the Un Certain Regard Jury, a press release announced. The Un Certain Regard section of Cannes will begin May 15 and conclude with an awards ceremony May 24.

“Capernaum,” a Lebanon-set drama about a boy who sues his parents for bringing him into a world of suffering, premiered in Competition at Cannes last year and went on to score Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations. But even before its Cannes run and Jury Prize win, Labaki was no stranger to the Croisette. Her first two features, “Caramel” and “Where Do We Go Now?,” also debuted at Cannes, in 2007 as part of Directors’ Fortnight and 2011 in Un Certain Regard, respectively. The filmmaker began developing “Caramel” in 2004 at Cannes’ Cinéfondation Residency.

“I remember back when I used to come to Cannes as a film student, I was so excited to experience the world’s most prestigious festival,” Labaki remarked. “Back then, it seemed so out of reach to me. I remember getting up early in the morning and the endless queues to get a ticket. It seems like yesterday, but it was 15 years ago that I filled in the Festival de Cannes’ Cinéfondation registration form, my heart full of hope and my hand shaking,” she recalled. “Today, I am the President of the Un Certain Regard Jury, which just goes to show that sometimes life can be even better than your dreams. I can’t wait to see the films in the Selection. I can’t wait to debate and discuss, to be shaken up, to find inspiration in other artists’ work.”

Labaki added, “To the directors whose films have been selected for Un Certain Regard this year, I would like to say that as a child, I would spend hours gazing out of my bedroom window, watching the world go by. These same eyes can’t wait to watch their films!”

Cannes Film Festival will run May 14-25 this year.