Park Chan-wook Makes History as First South Korean Cannes Jury President

According to Variety, Park Chan-wook will succeed French actor Juliette Binoche, whose jury previously handed over the Palme d'Or to Jafar Panahi's Iranian drama 'It Was Just an Accident'.

Park is known for having a long history with Cannes, beginning from the days when he presented his feature debut 'Oldboy' at the 2004 festival. The film even won the Grand Prize and has turned out to be a cult classic.

Over the years, he has returned to the festival's competition section multiple times, earning critical acclaim and accolades. His 2009 film Thirst won the Jury Prize, while Decision to Leave secured him the Best Director award in 2022. He also presented The Handmaiden at the 2016 festival.

Speaking on his jury addition for the Cannes festival, president Iris Knobloch and director Thierry Fremaux said in a joint statement, "Park Chan-wook's inventiveness, visual mastery, and penchant for capturing the multiple impulses of women and men with strange destinies have given contemporary cinema some truly memorable moments. We are delighted to celebrate his immense talent and, more broadly, the cinema of a country deeply engaged with the questioning of our time," as quoted by Variety.

With this appointment, Park becomes the first South Korean jury president in the festival's 79-year history. Previously, Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai was the only other Asian director to have headed the Cannes jury, two decades ago.

Expressing his thoughts on the role, Park said he looks forward to the experience of leading the jury.

"To be enclosed in a theatre to watch films, and enclosed again to engage in debate with the members of the jury, this double, voluntary confinement is something I await with great anticipation," he said.

- ANI