Radu Mihăileanu is a Romanian-born French film director and screenwriter. In addition to his work in cinema, he published a book of poems in 1987 titled Une vague en mal de mer. His film The Source premiered in competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

The 64th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition. South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho was the head of the jury for the Caméra d'Or prize, which is awarded to the best first-time filmmaker. The American film The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick won the Palme d'Or.