Spike Lee has again been asked to chair the Cannes Film Festival jury after last year's event was cancelled because of the pandemic. The Malcolm X and Do The Right Thing director will be the first black film-maker to take on the prestigious role. Lee has premiered seven films at the festival. "Cannes will always have a deep spot in my heart," he said in a video message. This year's event is due to take place in July instead of its usual May slot. "Book my flight now. My wife Tonya and I, we're coming," the director added. But with Covid-19 cases still at high levels in France, there is a chance that the event could be called off again. "Throughout the months of uncertainty we've just been through, Spike Lee has never stopped encouraging us," festival president Pierre Lescure said in a statement. "We could not have hoped for a more powerful personality to chart our troubled times."