Park Chan-wook, the visionary director behind South Korean masterpieces such as "Old Boy" and "No Other Choice," has been named President of the Jury for the 79th Cannes Film Festival, running from May 12 to May 23. Following in the footsteps of Juliette Binoche, who presided over the 2025 jury that awarded the Palme d'Or to Jafar Panahi for his dramatic film "It Was Just an Accident," Park's appointment is a testament to his unparalleled contribution to contemporary cinema.
"Park Chan-wook's innovative storytelling, mastery of visual storytelling, and his ability to capture the multifaceted impulses of characters with extraordinary destinies have left an indelible mark on contemporary cinema," said Festival President Iris Knobloch and Director Thierry Frémaux. "We are thrilled to celebrate his immense talent and, more broadly, the cinema of a country deeply engaged with the questioning of our time."
This honor brings Park back to familiar territory, as he has premiered four features in competition at Cannes, starting with "Old Boy" in 2004, which won the Grand Jury Prize, followed by "Thirst" (2009), "The Handmaiden" (2016), and "Decision to Leave" (2022), for which he received the Best Director award.
Reacting to the news, Park said, "The theater is a dark sanctuary where we can witness the illumination of cinema. By confining ourselves within its walls, our souls are liberated through the window of film. To be enclosed within a theater to watch films and then again to engage in debate with the members of the Jury—this double, voluntary confinement is something I eagerly anticipate."
"In this era of mutual hatred and division, I believe that the simple act of gathering in a theater to watch a single film together, our breaths and heartbeats aligning, is itself a moving and universal expression of solidarity," he added.
Cannes compared Park's work to that of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Brian De Palma, and David Fincher "for their artistry in composing images whose formal beauty is matched only by their moral rigor." Looking back on his career trajectory, the festival recounted how Park first dreamed of becoming a film director after discovering Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo."
"The English master has permeated his work, down to the composition of certain shots and sets, with a sense of aesthetics tinged with surrealism," it said.
Cannes noted how Park drew inspiration from Hitchcock's 1943 crime thriller "Shadow of a Doubt" for his family drama "Stoker" (2013), starring Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska, while the UK director's influence was also evident in "Decision to Leave."
The festival also praised Park's recent film "No Other Choice" (2025), as well as "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (2002) and "Lady Vengeance" (2005), the first and third films in a trilogy that included "Old Boy" and his breakout third film, JSA (Joint Security Area).
Park is the first Korean and third Asian to be named Cannes jury president, following Japan's Tetsurō Furukaki in 1962 and Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai in 2006. The festival noted that his presidency also symbolizes its deep attachment to Korean cinema, citing Im Kwon-taek's "Chi-hwa-seon" (Strokes of Fire) as the country's first Cannes prize winner in 2002 and Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" as Korea's first Palme d'Or winner.
Other Korean titles selected by Cannes include Hong Sang-soo's "Tale of Cinema" (2005), Kim Ki-duk's "Breath" (2007), and Lee Chang-dong's "Poetry" (2010), all of which premiered in Un Certain Regard. Korean cinema has also made a strong impression in Midnight Screenings thanks to films like Kim Jee-woon's "A Bittersweet Life" (2005), Yeon Sang-ho's "Train to Busan" (2016), Byun Sung-hyun's "The Merciless" (2017), and Lee Won-tae's "The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil" (2019).
The country's acting talent has also left an indelible mark, with Jeon Do-yeon winning Best Actress for "Secret Sunshine" in 2007 and Song Kang-ho winning Best Actor for "Broker" in 2022. The festival announced that the Official Selection for the 79th edition will be unveiled in mid-April without specifying an exact date.
