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Park Chan-wook is the 2026 Cannes Jury President
#Park Chan-wook#Cannes Film Festival#Palme d'Or#Korean Cinema#Film Jury President#Oldboy#The Handmaiden#2026 Festival
📌 Key Takeaways
Park Chan-wook becomes the first Korean president of the Cannes jury
He will lead the selection of the 2026 Palme d'Or winner
The festival runs from May 12-23, 2026
Park has won multiple awards at previous Cannes festivals
His presidency symbolizes Cannes' appreciation for Korean cinema
📖 Full Retelling
South Korean director Park Chan-wook was announced Thursday as the jury president for the 79th Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, where he will lead the international panel that selects the winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or at the festival running from May 12-23, 2026. The acclaimed filmmaker behind 'Oldboy,' 'The Handmaiden,' and 'No Other Choice' will be the first Korean head of the Cannes jury, marking a significant milestone for Korean cinema on the international stage. Festival president Iris Knobloch and director Thierry Frémaut praised Park's 'inventiveness, visual mastery, and penchant for capturing the multiple impulses of women and men with strange destinies,' highlighting how his work has given contemporary cinema memorable moments. Park has a long and decorated history with the festival, having first gained international attention when his film 'Joint Security Area' screened at Berlin in 2001, before achieving breakthrough success with 'Oldboy' premiering at Cannes in 2004. Since then, he has returned to the Croisette multiple times, winning the jury prize for 'Thirst' in 2009, the Vulcan Prize for production design for 'The Handmaiden' in 2016, and best director for 'Decision to Leave' in 2022. In his statement following the announcement, Park expressed his anticipation for the two-week festival, noting that 'the theater is dark so that we may see the light of cinema' and emphasizing the importance of collective film viewing as 'a moving and universal expression of solidarity' in an age of division.
🏷️ Themes
Film Festival Leadership, Korean Cinema Recognition, International Cultural Exchange
The Cannes Film Festival is considered the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des F...
The Handmaiden (Korean: 아가씨; RR: Agassi; lit. 'Lady') is a 2016 South Korean erotic historical psychological thriller film directed, co-written and co-produced by Park Chan-Wook and starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo and Cho Jin-woong. It is inspired by the 2002 novel Fingersmith by Welsh...
The cinema of Korea encompasses the film industries of North Korea and South Korea, as well as the historical film industries of the Korean Empire and Korea during the Japanese occupation. While both countries have relatively robust film industries today, only South Korean films have achieved wide i...
Old boy or Oldboy or Old Boys may refer to:
Old Boys, male former pupils of schools in Britain, some schools in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago
Old boy network, social and business connections among former pupils of top male-only schools
A cadet who has attended St.
Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment South Korean director Park Chan-wook will be the jury president for the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, Cannes announced Thursday. The acclaimed filmmaker behind Oldboy , The Handmaiden and No Other Choic e will head up the international jury that will select the winner of this year’s Palme d’Or. The 2026 Cannes Film Festival runs May 12 – 23. He will be the first Korean head of the Cannes jury. “ Park Chan-wook ‘s inventiveness, visual mastery, and penchant for capturing the multiple impulses of women and men with strange destinies have given contemporary cinema some truly memorable moments,” Cannes festival president Iris Knobloch and director Thierry Frémaux said in a statement. “We are delighted to celebrate his immense talent and, more broadly, the cinema of a country deeply engaged with the questioning of our time.” Related Stories Movies German, European Filmmakers Back Berlinale Boss Movies Oscar-Nominated 'Butcher's Stain' Raises Timely Questions at 'THR Frontrunners' Screening Park Chan-wook first attracted international attention with his third feature, Joint Security Area, which screened in Berlin in 2001, but his breakthrough came three years later with the world premiere of Oldboy in Cannes. The groundbreaking revenge thriller won the Grand Jury Prize (there was speculation that jury president Quentin Tarantino wanted to give it the Palme). Park returned to the Croisette multiple times since, rarely leaving empty-handed. His vampire drama Thirst won Cannes’ jury prize in 2009, the period drama The Handmaiden (2016) won the Vulcan Prize for its production design, and his Hitchcockian thriller Decision to Leave took best director in 2022. “His presence at the Palais des Festivals testifies to the mutual loyalty that exi...
