The Cannes Film Festival has revealed the competition’s 2026 jury, a nine-person mix of authors, actors and writers tasked with choosing this year’s Palme d’Or winner.
As previously announced, South Korean director Park Chan-wook will serve as jury president, setting a Cannes record that includes winning the Grand Prix for Old boy And the Best Director Award The decision to leave. He will be joined by a roster that blends Hollywood star power, art house credibility and strong ties to the Croisette.
Among the notable names is Demi Moore, who made her career comeback with Coralie Farget ArticleWhich won Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2024 and earned Moore a string of major awards, including her first Academy Award nomination. Irish-Ethiopian actress Ruth Negga also returns to the festival’s orbit. She received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in LovingWhich was first shown in competition in 2016.
The cast also includes French star Isaac de Bancoli, a Cannes fixture through his collaborations with Claire Denis and Jim Jarmusch, including Ghost Dog: Way of the SamuraiWhich was played in the competition in 1999; And Stellan Skarsgård, who returns to the Croisette after Joachim Trier’s win last year. Emotional valuewhich won the grand prize in 2025 and earned the Swedish veteran a long-awaited Oscar nomination. Skarsgard’s Cannes credentials go back, of course, to the 1996 Jury Prize winner Breaking waves.
Director Park will be joined on the judging panel by fellow director Chloe Zhao (Bedouin, Hamnet), which first appeared in 2015, Songs my brothers taught me It was screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes. And two emerging directors: Chilean director Diego Cespedes, who was making his debut The mysterious look of a flamingo Last year he won the Un Certain Regard award; And Belgian director Laura Wandel, who won the Un Certain Regard award for her film stadium In 2021 his movie For Adam’s sake Critics’ Week opened last year.
Rounding out the jury is Scottish screenwriter Paul Lafferty, a long-time collaborator with Ken Loach, who won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes for his film. Sweet sixteen (2002) and penned Loach’s Palme d’Or winners: The wind that shakes the barley and I’m Danielle Blake.
The nine-member jury is scheduled to award the Palme d’Or to one of the 22 competing films at the closing ceremony on May 23.
The 79th session of the Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 12 to 23.
