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Ousmane Sow, Senegalese sculptor (president of the Jury) - Nancy Huston - Adam Michnik - Freddy Buache - Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu Ousmane Sow France/Senegal (President of the Jury) Ousmane Sow was born in Dakar in 1935. An enthusiastic sculptor since childhood, he decided, at the age of fifty, to devote himself entirely to his art. Revealed in 1987 at Dakar’s French Cultural Centre, the artist presented his work at the Kassel Documenta six years later, and at the Palazzo Grassi in 1995, the centenary of the Venice Biennale. In the spring of 1999, his exhibition at the Pont des Arts in Paris attracted more than three million visitors. Ousmane Sow is currently working on small Nouba sculptures which he alternates with monumental figures, a tribute to the great men who marked his life, amongst which Nelson Mandela, Mohamed Ali, Ghandi, Martin Luther King and his own father. Freddy Buache Born in Lausanne in 1924, Freddy Buache decided from early on to become a journalist. As a result, he rapidly integrated Switzerland’s theatrical and cinematographic circles. In 1951, he co-organised the Semaine du Cinéma with the support of Henri Langlois, and took part in the official inauguration of the Swiss Film Archives (Cinémathèque suisse), which he directed until 1996. Amongst his numerous activities, he was named director of the retrospectives at the Locarno Film Festival, which he co-directed from 1966 to 1970. In 1981, to commemorate the inauguration of the Swiss Film Archive’s new premises, Jean-Luc Godard dedicated him a short film, Lettre à Freddy Buache. In 1990, he was appointed Professor privat-docent at the University of Lausanne. Nancy Huston Born in Calgary (Canada) in 1953, Nancy Huston spent her teenage years on the New Hampshire. She moved to Paris in 1973, where she decided to settle down. In 1976, she began writing in French, her adoptive language, and collaborated with several newspapers and magazines. Her first novel, The Goldberg Variations, was published in 1981. During the following years, Nancy Huston has written novels, essays, children’s books, as well as scripts for radio and staged readings. Written in her mother tongue, Plainsong (1993), marked a turning point in her career. Today, she is a bestselling author, writes both in English and in French, and translates her own work. Her latest novel, Birth Marks, was awarded the Prix Femina in 2006. Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu Actress and FIDH sponsor for Burma, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu’s career began in 1985 with Coline Serreau’s the film Thee Men and a Baby. Following this success, she acted in numerous films, including Andrzej Wajda’s The Possessed, and made her stage début in The Miser, co-starring with Michel Serrault. More recently, she played the leading role in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Deux Frères. Last year, she initiated the operation “90 days to free Aung San Suu Kyi”, to which she invited young filmmakers to direct one minute short films based on the idea: I am not free if you are not. Two of the best contributions will be screened at the Festival. Adam Michnik Editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, the biggest daily in Poland. Historian, co-founder of KOR (Committee for the Defense of Workers) in 1976, detained many times during 1965-1980, a prominent "Solidarity" activist during the '80ties, spent a total of six years in Polish prisons for activities opposing the communist regime, member of the Round Table Talks 1989, member of the first non-communist parliament 1989-1991, editor-in-chief of the first independent Polish newspaper - Gazeta Wyborcza. Laureat of many prizes and titles, as the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur; recipient of a doctorate honoris causa from The New School for Social Research in New York.