Cannes to name winners May 23

The 79th Cannes Film Festival reaches its final night on Saturday, May 23, with the jury set to announce the winners of this year’s Competition. Festival organizers said South Korean director Park Chan-wook will preside over the jury as prizes are handed out from a field of 22 films. French actor Eye Haïdara is scheduled to host the closing ceremony, after also presenting the opening ceremony on May 12. The event begins at 8:15 p.m. local time in Cannes and will be broadcast on France 2 in France and internationally on Brut. ### When are the prizes actually being announced? Saturday, May 23, is the festival’s closing day, and the official Cannes schedule says the awards will be presented during the evening closing ceremony. The ceremony is set for the Grand Théâtre Lumière after 12 days of screenings, premieres and red-carpet events on the Croisette. (festival-cannes.com) The festival’s awards page says the winners of the 79th edition will be posted online on Saturday, while the Un Certain Regard prizes were scheduled separately on Friday, May 22. That leaves Saturday night as the main awards moment for the Competition lineup and the Palme d’Or. ### Who is deciding the Palme d’Or this year? (festival-cannes.com) Park Chan-wook, the South Korean director of films including “Oldboy” and “Decision to Leave,” is serving as president of the jury. Cannes said his appointment marks a first for Korean cinema in that role. (festival-cannes.com) The festival said Park is joined on the feature-film jury by Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Chloé Zhao, Diego Céspedes, Payal Kapadia, Leïla Slimani and Carlos Reygadas. That panel will choose the Palme d’Or and the rest of the main Competition prizes. ### How big is the field this year? (festival-cannes.com) The Cannes official selection release said 22 feature films are in Competition for 2026. The festival’s closing-ceremony announcement repeats that number, framing Saturday’s awards as a decision among 22 contenders. Festival coverage from AP said the race appeared unusually open heading into the ceremony. (festival-cannes.com) AP reported that Hollywood had a smaller footprint this year and that critics had not rallied around a single dominant frontrunner, leaving the Palme d’Or harder to call than in some recent editions. (festival-cannes.com) ### Who is hosting the ceremony on the Croisette? Eye Haïdara will host the closing ceremony, according to the festival’s official release. Cannes also said she presented the opening ceremony on May 12, giving her both bookend appearances for this year’s edition. (wgauradio.com) Saturday’s rerun schedule says the ceremony will be carried live on France 2 and internationally on Brut. After the awards, the Palme d’Or winner is due to be screened in the Grand Théâtre Lumière, according to the festival schedule. ### What happens after the envelopes are opened? (festival-cannes.com) The Palme d’Or winner will be shown after the ceremony on Saturday night, the festival schedule says. Cannes has also said the winners list from the 79th edition will be published online the same day. May 23 closes the 79th Festival de Cannes, which ran from May 12 to May 23 on the French Riviera. (festival-cannes.com) The next concrete step is the awards announcement at 8:15 p.m. local time, with Park Chan-wook’s jury naming the prize winners from the 22-film Competition. (festival-cannes.com)