Kenyan Actress Lupita Nyong'o on Thursday made history in Germany by taking over as the first black head of the Berlin International Film Festival jury since its inception 74 years ago.
The actress will lead the jury in selecting the winning films in the two main categories, the Golden and Silver Bears.
While attending the opening ceremony of the event, Nyong'o stated she was greatly honoured to take on the role.
"That's the beauty of bringing people together from different backgrounds, we respond to different things," Nyong’o noted.
In her role as head of juries, Nyong’o will contribute to a more inclusive and diverse landscape within the Film Festival.
"We have a lot of world experience and opinion and it's gonna be interesting. It's probably also gonna be spicy," Lupita remarked during the event.
According to the Oscar award-winning actress, the diversity of the jury will enrich the jury's process of deciding on the films to award.
The event which is also known as the Berlinale is held annually and is one of the five largest global film festivals.
According to the organisers, the event has not had a black jury head in its 74-year history.
Initially, five international film festivals including the Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance and Toronto faced criticism for lacking diversity on their juries.
The event is set to run until 25 February, when the jury announces the winning films in the major categories.
In the event are three African entries which are among the 20 films competing for the top prize.
