New Delhi

Acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook will preside over the main competition jury at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Korean director to hold the prestigious role at the festival’s 79th edition.

Park and his jury will confer the 2026 Palme d'Or on May 23 at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, festival organisers announced. Last year’s top honour was presented by Juliette Binoche to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident.

“Park Chan-wook’s inventiveness, visual mastery, and his unique ability to capture the complex impulses of women and men with strange destinies have given contemporary cinema some truly unforgettable moments,” said Cannes festival president Iris Knobloch and festival director Thierry Frémaux in a joint statement. They added that the festival was delighted to honour both Park’s talent and the broader cinematic tradition of South Korea.

Park’s association with Cannes dates back to 2004, when Old Boy won the Grand Prix. He later received the Jury Prize for Thirst in 2009 and Best Director honours for Decision to Leave in 2022.

Renowned for his visceral and subversive storytelling style, Park is often compared to filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Brian De Palma and David Fincher. He has cited Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman and Luchino Visconti as major influences.

His most recent film, No Other Choice (2025), offers a satirical take on ambition and success in modern Korean capitalist society. Internationally, Park is best known for his acclaimed Vengeance Trilogy — Sympathy for Mister Vengeance (2002), Old Boy (2004) and Lady Vengeance (2005).

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The 79th Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 12 to 23.