Cannes 2026: Palme d'Or Race and Jury Led by Park Chan-wook
On Saturday, May 23, 2026, the prestigious Palme d'Or will be presented at the 79th Festival de Cannes. The jury, chaired by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, features a diverse lineup of members, including actors Demi Moore (USA), Ruth Negga (Ethiopia/Ireland), Isaach de Bankolé (Ivory Coast/USA), and Stellan Skarsgård (Sweden), along with directors Laura Wandel (Belgium), Diego Céspedes (Chile), and Chloé Zhao (China), plus screenwriter Paul Laverty (UK). A total of twenty-two films are in contention, with RFI placing Hamaguchi Ryusuke's "Soudain" (Japan) in the top position, followed by Paweł Pawlikowski's "Fatherland (1949)" (Poland/UK), László Nemes's "Moulin" (Hungary), and Kore-eda Hirokazu's "Sheep in the Box" (Japan). Other notable entries include films by various acclaimed directors.
Key facts
- 79th Festival de Cannes Palme d'Or awarded May 23, 2026.
- Jury president: Park Chan-wook (South Korea).
- Jury includes Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Stellan Skarsgård, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Chloé Zhao, Paul Laverty, Isaach de Bankolé.
- 22 films in competition.
- Top-ranked film: 'Soudain' by Hamaguchi Ryusuke (Japan).
- Second-ranked: 'Fatherland (1949)' by Paweł Pawlikowski (Poland/UK).
- Third-ranked: 'Moulin' by László Nemes (Hungary).
- Other notable entries: Pedro Almodóvar, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Asghar Farhadi, James Gray.
- Competition includes directors from Japan, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Romania, France, USA, Iran, Austria, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, Russia.
- RFI published a ranking of all 22 films.
Entities
Artists
- Park Chan-wook
- Demi Moore
- Ruth Negga
- Laura Wandel
- Diego Céspedes
- Isaach de Bankolé
- Paul Laverty
- Chloé Zhao
- Stellan Skarsgård
- Hamaguchi Ryusuke
- Paweł Pawlikowski
- László Nemes
- Kore-eda Hirokazu
- Arthur Harari
- Fukada Koji
- Rodrigo Sorogoyen
- Cristian Mungiu
- Jeanne Herry
- Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
- James Gray
- Asghar Farhadi
- Marie Kreutzer
- Na Hong-jin
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Javier Calvo
- Javier Ambrossi
- Lukas Dhont
- Valeska Grisebach
- Emmanuel Marre
- Léa Mysius
- Ira Sachs
- Andrey Zvyagintsev
Institutions
- Festival de Cannes
- RFI
Locations
- Cannes
- France
- South Korea
- United States
- Ethiopia
- Ireland
- Ivory Coast
- Sweden
- Belgium
- Chile
- China
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- Poland
- Hungary
- Spain
- Romania
- Iran
- Austria
- Germany
- Russia