The Cannes Film Festival has appointed actor-filmmaker Greta Gerwig as the jury president for its upcoming 77th edition.

The festival shared the news on Thursday morning, calling Gerwig a "heroine of modern our times” who had shaken the “status quo”, reported entertainment news outlet Deadline.

The actor-filmmaker, who is currently receiving praise for her work on Barbie, the film based on the iconic Mattel doll, will become the first female American director to take on the role of jury president at the prestigious film gala.

While speaking to Deadline, Gerwig stated, "I am stunned and thrilled and humbled to be serving as the president of the Cannes Film Festival Jury. I cannot wait to see what journeys are in store for all of us."

She added, "As a cinephile, Cannes has always been the pinnacle of what the universal language of movies can be." The festival will take place from May 14 to May 25, 2024.

The 40-year-old is also the youngest person to take on the role since Italian actor Sophia Loren (then 31) in 1966.

Gerwig has attended Cannes alongside her partner Noah Baumbach before, notably in 2017 when his “The Meyerowitz Stories” premiered, but she’s never presented a film there.

Starting as an actor, Greta Gerwig broke through as a solo director with Lady Bird in 2017. She became the fifth woman to be nominated for best director and the movie earned a total of five Oscar nominations. 

Her recent film Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, clashed with Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer at the box office. As per reports, Barbie earned $ 1.44 billion worldwide and holds 16th position among the biggest films in terms of worldwide collection in history. The film is also said to be the biggest film ever to be directed by a woman.