London, Jan 3: French actress Isabelle Huppert, who has served twice as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival, has now been appointed as the president of the jury for 2009.

Huppert, 55, who will be the fourth woman to head the committee, succeeding actor Sean Penn, is "very glad and very proud" to be part of the annual event in May.

"I've had a long relationship with Cannes and this next meeting will definitely seal my love for the festival and thus for global cinema," the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

Huppert had won the prize for Best Actress at the festival in 1978 for Violette Noziere and for The Piano Teacher in 2001.

The jury will be selecting the winner for the much-coveted Palme d''Or, which is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Festival. (ANI)