Jacob takes over as Cannes fest prexy
Search for artistic director in low gear
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Jacob officially took over from outgoing president Pierre Viot during a board meeting Monday. The next gathering of the 28 board members, before which no appointments can be made, does not take place until early September.
The fest's lack of an artistic director in the meantime does "not pose a problem," Jacob declared in an interview with Daily Variety.
"The films aren't ready, they aren't even made yet, and anyway, this is a holiday period when everyone in France takes a long vacation," he said, adding that he intends to spend part of the quiet summer period sizing up potential candidates for their suitability.
The festival's board will meet after the vacation period to examine the propositions for "the new management team," the fest organization said in its official statement.
The absence of the artistic director's title, "delegue general," in the wording of the statement appears to confirm Jacob's comments to Daily Variety during Cannes that more than one person may be called upon to fill his shoes.
Skeptics perceive this potential division of duties as an attempt by Jacob to weaken the powers of his successor, the better to continue making the important artistic decisions himself.
Jacob, however, insisted that he would be kept very busy fulfilling his new presidential functions. These include defining the strategy of the festival, dealing with the various public bodies and commercial partners with whom the festival works, overseeing the accounts and handling the film market.
Describing Monday's hand-over as an "emotional occasion" for himself and Viot, who was voted honorary president, Jacob said: "We've received a great show of confidence in our work and I want to continue to do things well. It isn't easy to maintain standards."
Meanwhile, the French rumor mill continues to churn up likely candidates for the artistic directorship, from the hotly tipped socialist member of parliament Frederique Bredin to Jacob's assistant, Christian Jeune.
Jacob took great delight in debunking both of those rumors -- because Bredin didn't want to give up politics and Jeune was doing just fine in his existing job -- while adding that "anything's possible," including an internal promotion.
"I'm a good example of that because I came from within the festival," Jacob said. "There are three types of candidates: those who put themselves forward, those who wouldn't say no and those who haven't considered the possibility. We are studying all of them."
