As every year, the official competition will conclude with the presentation of the Palm gold, the festival's supreme award, awarded at the closing ceremony on 23 May 2026
Park Chan-wook, director of Oldboy, jury president
For this edition of 2026, the Cannes Film Festival entrusted Park Chan-wook, one of the most influential filmmakers in contemporary Asian cinema, as chair of the jury.
The South Korean director has imposed himself on the international stage with films that have become cults, including Oldboy, rewarded by the Grand Prix in Cannes in 2004. He also won the 2009 Jury Prize for Thirst and Award for the production in 2022 for Decision to Leaveconfirming a lasting relationship with the festival.
His appointment marks a historic moment: he becomes the first South Korean director to chair the jury of the official competition The Cannes Film Festival. Along with his international jury, he will be responsible for choosing the Palme d'or 2026 and the main awards of the award.
Park Chan-wook recently presented his latest film, No Other Choicea satirical thriller worn by Lee Byung-hun. The film tells the story of a man fired after years in the same company who, unable to find a job, decides to eliminate his competitors to get a job. Adapted from the novel The Ax of the Donald E. Westlake, the film combines black humour and social criticism around the pressure of work and downgrading.
An already much awaited edition
If the competing films are not yet known, the official selection expected to be announced in April 2026, as is the tradition of the festival.
Another notable announcement: New Zealand director Peter Jackson receive a Palm gold honour for his entire career, welcoming his work on trilogy Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
The Cannes Blog at the heart of the event
Like every year, The Cannes Blog will closely follow all the news of the festival:
announcements of the official selection
arrival of stars on the red carpet
Projections and previews
evenings and events around the cinema
Throughout the festival, we will make you live behind the scenes, the strong moments and the unique atmosphere of the Croisette, as close as possible to the world's largest film event.
See you from 12 to 23 May 2026 for a new edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
