[Photo & ‘Cannes Closing Ceremony现场’] Park Chan-wook, Cannes Jury Chair: “I didn’t want to give the Palme d’Or, but I had no choice” Witty remarks

‘The 79th Cannes International Film Festival’, a closing ceremony ruled by Park Chan-wook’s poise and humor

“To speak honestly, the Palme d’Or is not a prize I wanted to give to anyone. That’s because it’s an award I’ve never received.”

Director Park Chan-wook, who took on the heavy responsibility of serving as jury chair for the competitive section at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival as the first Korean to do so, stunned the press conference room at the closing ceremony with his first remarks, easing the tight tension in an instant.

He said, “But I had no choice. I couldn’t not give it, because there was an outstanding film so good that it couldn’t be overlooked,” employing his signature intellectual humor. It was a cutting quip that cleverly borrowed the title of his own acclaimed work, ‘No Other Choice’, released last year. The jury member beside him, director Chloe Zhao, also delivered repeated lines—“No other choice!”—creating a perfectly matched ensemble with the chair’s wit.

All members of the jury were present at the day’s press conference, including Demi Moore, Stellan Skarsgård, Isaac de Bankolé, Ruth Negga, Chloe Zhao, Laura Wandel, Diego Tezedes, and Paul Laverty, proving the jury’s solid unity behind Park Chan-wook.

A battle of titans—and Cristian Mungiu captures his second Palme d’Or

This year’s top honor at Cannes, the Palme d’Or, went to Romanian master director Cristian Mungiu’s ‘Quaid’. With that, he achieved the monumental feat of rising to the pinnacle of Cannes for the second time, following ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’ in 2007.

The Grand Prix went to director Andrei Zvyagintsev’s ‘Minotaur’, while the Best Director award honored, jointly, ‘La vola negra’ by Javier Ambrosio and Javier Calvo, and ‘Fatherland’ by Paweł Pawlikowski.

On the shared Best Director win, jury chair Park Chan-wook said, “Both works were so overwhelming that it was impossible to single out one over the other. Excluding either one wasn’t possible,” making clear the rationale behind the jury’s decision.

The acting awards for both men and women also followed an unusual pattern of shared wins. For Best Actor, Emmanuel Macia and Valentin Carpenau in ‘Courage’ took the honors. For Best Actress, Virginie Efira and Okamoto Tao in ‘All of Us or a Sudden’ claimed the awards. Park Chan-wook expressed unshakable confidence in the outcome, saying, “Without a doubt, if you watch both films, you’ll have no choice but to fully accept the jury’s decision.”

Harmony instead of debate—an ideal jury journey that rewrote the history of Cannes

Typically, the jury process at the Cannes Film Festival is known as a place for sharp debates and fierce arguments. But the jury panel led by Park Chan-wook left behind a new precedent, maintaining a consistently positive, harmony-first atmosphere throughout.

He unveiled behind-the-scenes details, saying, “Each time three or four films were screened, we would gather frequently to hold dense discussions,” adding that “even when it wasn’t an official meeting, every time we ran into each other, we shared a cinematic connection.”

On the morning of the day when screenings of all invited works in the competitive sections wrapped up, even the final judging—after handing in electronic devices—ended smoothly without any delays. Park Chan-wook sparked more laughter from the audience again with his wry add-on: “Not because we wanted our phones back quickly—fortunately, there were no disagreements among the jury members to an astonishing degree.”

At the pinnacle of artistic rapport—the magic of Cannes that the masters praised in unison

Actress Demi Moore, who served on the jury, said, “Each day, I immersed myself in great art, and I was able to share deep philosophy with fellow members—it was astonishing. I felt like I’m going back as a more advanced person than before,” leaving behind her heartfelt reflection.

Actor Stellan Skarsgård responded with his signature dry joke, saying, “For me, it didn’t help me become a better person much.” But he still praised the experience, adding, “The process of listening to my colleagues’ insights was exhilarating, and we created perfect harmony.”