Director Park Chan Wook, the first Korean filmmaker ever appointed the President of the Feature Film Jury at Cannes, shared his thoughts on the current state of Korean cinema during a press conference ahead of the festival’s opening ceremony on May 12th local time.
This year marks a stronger Korean presence at Cannes once again, with Na Hong Jin’s long-awaited new film Hope entering the competition lineup, Yeon Sang Ho’s Colony invited to the Midnight Screenings section and July Jung’s Dora selected for Directors’ Fortnight.
Addressing the lineup, Park Chan Wook said he was glad to see “three Korean films expected to be very good” invited to the festival this year. At the same time, he joked that he would not be giving Korean films any special treatment during judging.
The Oldboy director reflected on how dramatically Korean cinema’s global standing has changed since he first attended Cannes in 2004. “At the time, Korean films were only introduced occasionally,” he said, expressing pride in how far the industry has come in just two decades.
Still, Park emphasized that he does not see the shift simply as Korean films becoming dominant. Instead, he described it as the global film industry itself expanding to embrace more countries and a wider diversity of storytelling.
Despite his deep ties to Korean cinema, Park said he plans to approach this year’s competition as “a pure audience member” rather than as a Korean filmmaker. “I want to watch the films with excitement, without prejudice, preconceptions or fixed ideas, waiting to see which movie surprises me,” he explained.
He added that once screenings are over, he will evaluate the entries as “a professional with clear opinions about film and knowledge of cinema history.”
Park also admitted that he hesitated for about five minutes before accepting the role of jury president because of the stress he experienced while previously serving as a juror. “But Cannes has given me so many gifts over the years,” he said. “I felt it might finally be time for me to give back.”
>> ‘Hope’ and 2 More Korean Films to Watch at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival
Source (1)
