Park Chan-wook becomes the first Korean filmmaker to chair the Cannes jury — and the first Asian to do so in twenty years

Park Chan-wook (provided by CJENM)

Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, the Coen Brothers, Robert De Niro, Wong Kar-wai — the list of past Cannes jury presidents reads like a condensed history of twentieth-century world cinema. In 2026, a Korean name joins that lineage for the first time.

On February 26, the Cannes Film Festival announced that Park Chan-wook will serve as jury president of the 79th edition's main competition. It marks the first time a Korean filmmaker has held the position responsible for selecting the Palme d'Or winner — and the first Asian filmmaker to chair the jury since Wong Kar-wai did so in 2006, twenty years ago.

In a joint statement, Festival President Iris Knobloch and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux said: "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. We are delighted to celebrate his immense talent and, more broadly, the cinema of a country deeply engaged with the questioning of our time."

Park's relationship with Cannes stretches back decades, and it is one of cinema's most storied. When Oldboy premiered in Competition in 2004, jury president Quentin Tarantino was reportedly determined to award it the Palme d'Or — but the jury ultimately settled on the Grand Prix as a compromise, a moment that has since become part of Cannes lore. Park returned to the Croisette to win the Jury Prize for Thirst (2009) and Best Director for Decision to Leave (2022), earning the affectionate nickname "Cannes Park" among Korean cinephiles.

Beyond praise for the director himself, the joint statement extended that recognition to Korean cinema at large — describing the country as one that "restores its treasures year after year" and "produces major contemporary works that attract millions of theatergoers."

Park Chan-wook's distinctive cinematic identity has been built over decades on what might be called an unwavering artistic consistency: formally rigorous compositions, morally complex characters, and a dark wit that disarms even as it unsettles. The deeper challenge now for Korean cinema is to translate Park's individual achievements into institutional momentum — to cultivate the conditions in which the next generation of Korean filmmakers can find their own path to the world's most prestigious stages.

On May 12, Park Chan-wook will take his place at Cannes once more. This time, the hand that once received a trophy will be the one that bestows it.

Sources

• Kyunghyang Shinmun, "Park Chan-wook to Chair Cannes Jury — First Korean to Do So", 2026.02.26

• Yonhap News Agency, "Park Chan-wook Named Cannes Jury President — A First for Korea", 2026.02.26

• Hankyoreh, "Director Park Chan-wook to Serve as Cannes Jury President — First Korean Appointment" , 2026.02.26

• Vogue Korea, "Park Chan-wook Named Jury President of the 79th Cannes Film Festival", 2026.02.26