Story perspectives

Cannes Opens with Park Chan-wook Jury, Jackson, Streisand Honored

5/11/2026

Summary

Cannes Opens

Cannes Film Festival opens on Tuesday, launching a 12-day program of premieres.
Park Chan-wook presides over the jury.
Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand each receive an honorary Palme d’Or.
James Gray’s Queens-set drama starring Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson joins competition.
Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander and Cristian Mungiu’s film about a Romanian-Norwegian couple starring Sebastian Stan join competition.

Summary

Directors Dominate Cannes

Ryusuke Hamaguchi debuts with “All of a Sudden,” starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, after his Oscar-nominated “Drive My Car.”
Hirokazu Kore-eda, Palme d’Or winner for “Shoplifters,” will unveil a Cannes film, reinforcing Japanese humanist cinema.
“Sheep in the Box” follows a grieving couple who adopt a humanoid robot, expanding Cannes’ genre range.
Arthur Harari, co-writer of Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” directs the thriller “The Unknown” starring Léa Seydoux.

History

Historical Context

Founded in September-October 1946, the Cannes Film Festival opened with 21 countries showcasing films under jury president Georges Huisman, created to give France a post-war alternative to Venice. Over the decades it became a premier venue for global auteurs; the 2024 edition, led by juror Park Chan-wook and honoring Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand, continues that legacy.

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Cannes Opens

Cannes Film Festival opens on Tuesday, launching a 12-day program of premieres.
Park Chan-wook presides over the jury.
Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand each receive an honorary Palme d’Or.
James Gray’s Queens-set drama starring Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson joins competition.
Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander and Cristian Mungiu’s film about a Romanian-Norwegian couple starring Sebastian Stan join competition.

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