Park Chan‑wook appears at Cannes opening as jury president alongside Chloé Zhao

Cannes opened in the usual blaze of tuxedos, flashbulbs, and theater, but the real Day 1 story was simpler than that. Park Chan-wook showed up not as a visiting auteur but as the person who will steer the biggest decision of the festival — who wins the Palme d’Or. Beside him on the red carpet were jurors including Chloé Zhao and Demi Moore, which instantly gave this year’s jury a very specific feel: global, prestige-heavy, and unusually legible even to people who don’t track festival politics. ### Why was Park Chan-wook the focal point? Because the jury president is not just ceremonial at Cannes. Park chairs the main competition jury that will choose among 22 films and set the tone for the festival’s top prize on May 23. He’s also a Cannes figure with real history — *Oldboy* won the Grand Prix in 2004, *Thirst* took the Jury Prize in 2009, and *Decision to Leave* won him best director in 2022. So this was Cannes putting one of its own veterans at the center of the room. (festival-cannes.com) ### Who is sitting with him? The nine-member jury mixes actors, directors, and a screenwriter from several countries. Alongside Park are Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé, Paul Laverty, and Stellan Skarsgård. That matters because Cannes juries are basically taste-making machines — and this one blends arthouse credibility with names mainstream audiences actually recognize. (festival-cannes.com) ### Why did Chloé Zhao and Demi Moore stand out? Because they signal two different kinds of prestige at once. Zhao brings recent Oscar authority and a director’s eye for form, scale, and human detail. Moore brings movie-star weight but also fresh Cannes credibility after *The Substance* lit up the festival in 2024 and pushed her into a new awards lane. Put those two next to Park, and the jury stops looking like a random roster and starts looking like a statement. (festival-cannes.com) ### What else happened on opening night? Cannes paired the jury reveal with two very Cannes moves — a big tribute and a big premiere. Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or at the May 12 opening ceremony, with Elijah Wood presenting it. Then the festival rolled straight into Pierre Salvadori’s opening-night film, *La Vénus électrique* — released in English as *The Electric Kiss* — which screened out of competition. (festival-cannes.com) ### So was this about movies or about symbolism? Mostly symbolism, for now. Day 1 at Cannes rarely belongs to reviews. It belongs to positioning — who the festival wants photographed together, who gets honored, which film opens, and what kind of cultural mood the event is trying to project. Park’s jury appearance fit that exactly. It told everyone, before the competition really gets going, that this year’s prize will be judged by a panel built around internationally respected filmmakers and performers, not just celebrity wattage. (festival-cannes.com) ### Why does the opening-night film matter if it’s out of competition? Because the opener is less a contender than a curtain-raiser. *La Vénus électrique* was chosen to launch the 79th festival on May 12 at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, right after the ceremony. That slot says something about tone — charming, public-facing, and broad enough to welcome the whole festival before the more combative competition titles start dividing people. (clickondetroit.com) ### What should people watch next? Watch the jury as much as the films. The movies will generate the headlines later, but the first clue to Cannes is always who has been handed the power to decide. Park Chan-wook walking in with Chloé Zhao and Demi Moore was that clue. The festival’s first message was not subtle — serious cinema first, spectacle second, and both at once if possible. (festival-cannes.com 1) (festival-cannes.com 2)