CANNES -- It's all in the family for English actress Helena Bonham Carter and American filmmaker Tim Burton at the 59th Cannes Film Festival.

Bonham Carter is a member of the main competition jury, one of nine under jury president and Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar Wai. They'll hand out the Palmares prizes for feature films at the end of the festival.

Burton, Bonham-Carter's life partner and father of her child, is on the six-member jury that hands out the short film prizes.

"It's obviously sort of contagious within the family," Bonham Carter said yesterday as the main Cannes jury faced the media. "Tim has already been on the main jury. He said it's kind of fun because you are in a position of power. Especially as an actor, on the whole, we are in a position of begging. We are in a depraved position. We want them to employ us. Tim said it is fun in the sense that people tend to suck up to you because, if their film is in competition, they want to get a prize. I thought that might be fun.

"Tim (is on his jury) because he felt that couldn't just come on a big freebie. Neither of us is particularly comfortable with judging because we have been judged so much ourselves. I don't know how good a member, frankly, I'm going to be because, on the whole, my taste in film is pretty bad. But I will try. When it comes to judging, you trust your instinct really. Well, we'll see."

Other jury members offered variations on the theme:

Tim Roth: "I kind of enjoy the being-judged thing sometimes. I think it is very exciting. When you have a film in a festival it can be a deflating but also a very rewarding experience. The judging I find quite stressful. I find the fact that you can hold people's future in your hand somewhat is a pretty big burden. We take it seriously."

Samuel L. Jackson (talking about winning or losing Cannes prizes): "I don't view it as a life or death situation or a career-making or breaking kind of thing."

Monica Belluci: "It's a big responsibility because Cannes is one of the most important festivals. I think we have to be humble because all of the judgments are so important."

Palestinian director Elia Suleiman: "I personally prefer to judge than be judged. When I was in Cannes (in competition), I think I spent all my stay absolutely anxious and nervous. This time I think only today will be the anxious part."