Full Breakdown
Cannes Film Festival 2026 Announces Diverse Competition Jury
5/4/2026, 11:47:15 PM
Jury Composition and Mandate
The 79th Cannes Film Festival, scheduled for May 12-23, 2026, will evaluate 22 films in its main competition. A nine-person jury, chaired by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, will award the Palme d’Or at the closing ceremony on May 23. The jurors are actress Demi Moore, actor Stellan Skarsgård, actress Ruth Negga, director Chloé Zhao, director Laura Wandel, director Diego Céspedes, actor Isaach De Bankolé, and screenwriter Paul Laverty.
Background: Park Chan-wook’s Presidency and Festival History
Park Chan-wook, the first Korean to preside over Cannes’ competition jury, previously competed at the festival with “Decision to Leave” (Best Director 2022), “The Handmaiden,” “Thirst,” and “Oldboy.” His appointment follows growing Asian representation at Cannes. The competition slate this year includes works by Pedro Almodóvar, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Asghar Farhadi, James Gray, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Cristian Mungiu, Na Hong-jin, László Nemes, Marie Kreutzer, Pawel Pawlikowski, Léa Mysius and Ira Sachs.
Profiles of Jury Members
- Demi Moore – American actress whose 2024 Cannes entry “The Substance” won Best Screenplay and earned an Oscar nomination.
- Stellan Skarsgård – Swedish actor featured in the 2025 Grand Prix winner “Sentimental Value,” which secured an Oscar nomination.
- Ruth Negga – Irish-Ethiopian actress nominated for an Oscar for “Loving,” which premiered in Cannes competition in 2016.
- Chloé Zhao – Chinese director of the Oscar-winning “Nomadland” (2021) and “Hamnet.” Her debut “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” screened in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2015.
- Laura Wandel – Belgian filmmaker whose short “Foreign Bodies” and features “Playground” (Un Certain Regard 2021) and “Adam’s Sake” (Critics’ Week 2024) programmed at Cannes.
- Diego Céspedes – Chilean director who won the Un Certain Regard prize in 2025 for “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.”
- Isaach De Bankolé – Ivorian-American actor with a Cannes record, including “Chocolat” (1988) and Jim Jarmusch’s “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” (1999).
- Paul Laverty – Screenwriter, identified as Scottish in some reports and Irish in others, who co-wrote Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winners “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” (2006) and “I, Daniel Blake” (2016) and won Best Screenplay for “Sweet Sixteen” (2002).
Data Snapshot
Festival dates: May 12-23, 2026.
Competition films: 22 titles.
Jury members: 9, representing five continents.
Opening film (out of competition): “The Electric Kiss” by Pierre Salvadori.
Closing ceremony broadcast by France Télévisions and Brut; honorary Palme d’Or recipients: Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand.
Official Festival Announcement
Cannes organizers released a statement on Monday, May 4, confirming the jury lineup and emphasizing the members’ “deep roots at the Croisette” and “global perspectives” that will guide the selection of the Palme d’Or. The announcement also highlighted the festival’s commitment to showcasing a “diverse slate of auteur cinema.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on Paul Laverty’s nationality, describing him as Scottish in some outlets and Irish in others. Isaach De Bankolé is variously labeled Ivorian-American, Ivorian-French, or French-born. No source provides a definitive clarification, leaving his precise national affiliation ambiguous.
Significance of Jury Diversity
The 2026 jury combines Hollywood star power, acclaimed arthouse directors, and seasoned screenwriters, marking a broader geographic and professional spread than recent panels. Park Chan-wook’s historic presidency and the inclusion of jurors from North America, Europe, Africa and South America underscore Cannes’ aim to reflect global cinema trends while maintaining its tradition of auteur-focused evaluation.
