Boyle named jury chief of Shanghai fest

British filmmaker Danny Boyle has been named the jury president of the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival, organizers said.

Boyle last month won the best director Oscar for his work on the best picture winner Slumdog Millionaire, which was set in Mumbai, India. His other films include Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Millions.

It’s fantastic to be in a film festival. It’s very rare in normal life going to a cinema that you know nothing about the film. … You should always approach those films with a completely open mind. And that’s what I’ll be doing, Xinhua quoted Boyle as saying.

Tang Lijun, general manager of the Shanghai International Film Festival, added, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is a perfect example for the cultural exchange between the eastern and western world… and Danny Boyle will surely bring new prospects for this time’s Shanghai International Film Festival in this June.

The festival is slated to run from June 13-21.