Cannes 2026: Peter Jackson Gets an Honorary Palme d'Or, Na Hong-jin's Hope Generates Buzz, and Park Chan-wook Leads the Jury

The opening and honorary recognition

Peter Jackson's Honorary Palme d'Or was the emotional centrepiece of the opening night ceremony.⁴ The New Zealand director, best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit series, and the Beatles documentary Get Back, received the award in an atmosphere of genuine celebration from the assembled filmmaking community.⁴ Elijah Wood, who starred in all three Lord of the Rings films, flew in to present the award to his director — a gesture that drew a standing ovation from the Palais crowd.⁴

The official festival poster for 2026 features actresses Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon on the set of Thelma and Louise, the 1991 Ridley Scott film that premiered at Cannes and has since become one of cinema's most enduring feminist landmarks.¹³ The choice signals the festival's intention to foreground films about women's agency and perspective at this year's edition.⁹

The competition

The main competition features a characteristically international and artistically ambitious lineup of 22 films.²⁵ Established arthouse figures including Spain's Pedro Almodovar, Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Romania's Cristian Mungiu are among the competition titles, alongside younger voices including Belgian director Lukas Dhont and France's Lea Mysius.² Park Chan-wook, the Korean director of Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave, chairs the main jury — a selection widely praised by critics who see his sensibility as a strong match for the eclectic competition slate.¹⁶

One of the most talked-about titles heading into the first week is Hope, directed by South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin, which has attracted particular attention partly because it stars real-life partners Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.²⁹ Na's previous films — The Chaser and The Wailing — established him as one of the most formally distinctive genre directors in world cinema, and Hope marks his longest gap between features, which has only intensified critical anticipation.⁸

Special screenings and celebrity moments

Beyond the competition, the festival's sidebar events have provided some of the most memorable images of the first week.⁷ Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez arrived on the Croisette for a special 25th anniversary screening of The Fast and the Furious, the 2001 film that launched one of cinema's most commercially successful franchises.²⁸ The screening drew a significant red carpet crowd and a substantial response from fans gathered outside the Palais.⁷

John Travolta is presenting his directorial debut at the festival — a film titled Propeller One-Way Night Coach, described as a coming-of-age story set during the golden age of aviation.² The film is not in competition, but Travolta's presence at Cannes as a director rather than a star marks a significant career moment for the actor.⁸

On 14 May, actress Riley Keough attended the premiere of Parallel Tales at the festival, wearing a sheer gown that attracted extensive coverage in fashion media.³ The red carpet has provided strong fashion content throughout the first days, with CNN's dedicated fashion coverage tracking the best-dressed arrivals of each evening.⁷

What to watch for in the second week

The Palme d'Or will be awarded on 23 May at the closing ceremony.¹ With the competition now at its midpoint, critical consensus around the frontrunners is beginning to form in the trade publications that publish daily reviews from the Croisette.⁶⁸ Hope remains among the most discussed titles, but Screen International's daily coverage and Deadline's review log suggest the field is wide open, with several films yet to screen in competition as the second week begins.⁶⁹