On February 26, 2026, the Cannes Film Festival made a historic announcement: 62-year-old South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook will serve as the Jury President for its 79th edition. With twelve feature films to his name and three past awards from the Croisette, Park becomes the first South Korean director to hold this prestigious position.

The Genesis of a Master: From Philosophy to Hitchcock

Born on August 23, 1963, in Seoul, Park Chan-wook initially sought answers to questions of aesthetics and morality by studying philosophy at Sogang University. However, his true calling was revealed in a dark movie theater while watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. This cinematic epiphany led him to found the Sogang Film Community and dedicate his life to directing.

“Hitchcock changed my life. I saw Vertigo and decided to open a film club with friends.” — Park Chan-wook

Forging a Legacy: The Vengeance Trilogy

After facing commercial failure with his first two films, Park demonstrated a tenacious ability to resist defeat. He achieved his first massive public success in 2000 with JSA – Joint Security Area, a political thriller about the demilitarized zone that drew over 5 million admissions in South Korea.

Between 2002 and 2005, he achieved global legendary status with his “Vengeance Trilogy,” a triptyque exploring the moral consequences of retribution:

• Sympathy for Mister Vengeance (2002): A dark exploration of a devastating spiral of violence.
• Oldboy (2003): The story of a man imprisoned for 15 years, which famously won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004 under jury president Quentin Tarantino. * Lady Vengeance (2005): A baroque and stylized conclusion centered on a woman’s quest to avenge a crime that ruined her life.

A Signature Style of Masterful Discomfort

Often compared to Tarantino for stylized violence, De Palma for formal mastery, and Fincher for psychological atmosphere, Park draws his own inspiration from Kurosawa, Bergman, Visconti, and Hitchcock. His cinema is one of controlled excess, where violence serves to reveal the fractures and alienations of society.

His acclaimed filmography continued to expand with visually masterful narratives:

• Thirst (2009): A vampire film adaptation of Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes.
• Stoker (2013): His American debut starring Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska.
• The Handmaiden (2016): An erotic and feminist thriller featured in the Cannes official selection.
• Decision to Leave (2022): A romantic noir that earned him the Best Director award at Cannes.
• No Other Choice (2025): A dark social satire on Korean capitalism that premiered at Venice and received three Golden Globe nominations.

A Historic Milestone for World Cinema

Park Chan-wook is only the third Asian filmmaker to preside over the Cannes jury, following Tetsurō Furukaki in 1962 and Wong Kar-wai in 2006. This appointment underscores the undeniable global triumph of the “New Korean Cinema”. Festival President Iris Knobloch and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux praised his inventiveness and visual mastery, noting he has gifted contemporary cinema with anthological moments.

“I am looking forward to this double voluntary captivity with the jury members: being locked up to watch a film, being locked up to discuss the film.” — Park Chan-wook

The 79th Cannes Film Festival at a Glance

• Dates: May 12–23, 2026, on the Croisette.
• Jury President: Park Chan-wook.
• Honorary Palmes d’or: Peter Jackson (Opening) and Barbra Streisand (Closing).
• Official Selection Announcement: April 9 by Thierry Frémaux.
• 2025 Palme d’or Refresher: Awarded to Jafar Panahi for Un simple accident, presented by Juliette Binoche.