Cannes jury defends film selections, outlines criteria at May 14 press conference

Park Chan-wook and the Cannes Film Festival’s feature-film jury used their opening press conference to set out how they plan to judge this year’s Competition, stressing openness to risk, collective debate and attention to the films rather than external expectations. The festival published the English-language video of the session on its official website and YouTube channel on May 12, 2026, as the 79th edition runs from May 12 to May 23. Festival materials identify Park as jury president and list eight other jurors from acting, directing and screenwriting across Europe, Asia and the Americas. The jury will award the Palme d’Or and other top prizes at the closing ceremony on May 23. ### Who was in the room, and what authority do they hold? The Festival de Cannes named Park Chan-wook as president of the 2026 feature-film jury in a May 4 press release, with Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé, Paul Laverty, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård serving alongside him. The festival said that group of nine will decide the awards for the 22 films in Competition. The winners are scheduled to be announced at the closing ceremony on Saturday, May 23, according to the same release. ### Why did the press conference matter at this stage of Cannes? (festival-cannes.com) The festival’s press-conference archive lists the “Press Conference of the 2026 Feature Films Jury” as an official event published on May 12, 2026, at 16:28, placing it at the start of the festival before the main awards deliberations. (festival-cannes.com) The official YouTube upload describes the event as the “79th Cannes Film Festival jury press conference with jury president Park Chan-Wook,” giving the public the festival’s English-language record of how the panel presented its judging approach. ### What criteria did the jury say it would use? Park Chan-wook said in the festival’s official press conference that jurors would respond first to the films themselves and discuss them collectively rather than apply a rigid formula, according to the festival video. (festival-cannes.com) The exchange, as presented by the festival, centered on artistic risk, representation and the judging process. (youtube.com) The festival feed also showed named jurors answering questions in English about how they weigh ambition, perspective and fairness in deliberations. Because Cannes has not published a written transcript alongside the video in the materials reviewed, the clearest verified record available from the festival is the video itself and the event listing. (festival-cannes.com) ### How does this jury fit Cannes’ broader structure? The Cannes juries page lists separate panels for feature films, Un Certain Regard, La Cinef and short films, and the Caméra d’Or, with the Park-led group assigned specifically to feature films in Competition. The festival’s press materials place the feature-film jury press conference alongside other official jury events, including Un Certain Regard and Caméra d’Or appearances, showing how Cannes introduces each awards body publicly before prizes are handed out. (festival-cannes.com) ### What comes next before the prizes are awarded? (festival-cannes.com) The 79th Festival de Cannes runs through May 23, 2026, according to the festival’s official pages. During that period, the feature-film jury will watch and discuss the 22 Competition entries before making its decisions. (festival-cannes.com) The next fixed milestone is the closing ceremony on May 23, when Park Chan-wook and the eight other jurors are due to announce the Palme d’Or winner and the rest of the Competition prizes, the festival said. (festival-cannes.com 1) (festival-cannes.com 2)