The 79th Cannes Film Festival comes to a close on Saturday, May 23, with the highly anticipated closing ceremony set to reveal the winners of all major awards, including the top prize — the Palme d’Or.
The festival runs from May 12 through May 23 in Cannes, France, with 22 films competing in the main competition for the prestigious honor.
South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook serves as jury president this year, becoming the first Korean filmmaker to hold that position at Cannes. His jury includes actress Demi Moore, director Chloé Zhao, actor Stellan Skarsgård, actress Ruth Negga, director Laura Wandel, filmmaker Diego Céspedes, actor Isaach De Bankolé, and screenwriter Paul Laverty.
Two American films made it into the main competition this year. Director James Gray brought “Paper Tiger,” starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Director Ira Sachs entered “The Man I Love,” featuring Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
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The race for the Palme d’Or has been closely contested. Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland” and Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” have drawn the strongest critical response throughout the festival. Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden” and Spanish film “La Bola Negra” are also considered serious contenders.
One of the festival’s most talked-about moments came when John Travolta received a surprise Honorary Palme d’Or. Travolta has a long history with Cannes, going back to the 1994 premiere of “Pulp Fiction.”
Peter Jackson received an Honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony on May 12. Barbra Streisand is scheduled to receive her Honorary Palme d’Or at Saturday’s closing ceremony.
The closing ceremony will be broadcast live. All major awards — including Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Grand Prix, and Jury Prize — will be announced Saturday alongside the Palme d’Or winner.
