Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov will chair the jury of the L'Œil d'Or (Golden Eye) at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, the prize's official website reports. The award goes to the best documentary drawn from the festival's main competition and its adjacent selection sections.
The ceremony is set for Friday, 22 May, at 12:00 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.
A ten-year-old prize with a wide catchment
Founded in 2015, the L'Œil d'Or considers documentaries from across the Cannes ecosystem, including the main competition, Un Certain Regard, out-of-competition screenings, Critics' Week, Directors' Fortnight, and ACI, according to the prize's website.
Chernov is described in the source as a Ukrainian director and war correspondent who has received international recognition for his work in combat zones, among them Mariupol during Russia's full-scale invasion. His film "20 Days in Mariupol" won the Oscar for best documentary.
Who else is on the jury
Joining Chernov is Tabitha Jackson, director of the Film Forum in New York and former head of the Sundance Film Festival, cited in the source as bringing years of experience in independent cinema and documentary. The panel also includes French actress Géraldine Pailhas, French-Algerian-Palestinian director Lina Soualem, and investigative journalist Victor Castanet.
Festival context
The Cannes Film Festival runs from 12 to 23 May this year. The source describes it as one of the oldest and most prestigious film forums in the world, a member of the so-called Big Five, which annually draws more than 35,000 industry professionals to the Côte d'Azur.
Founded in 1939 as a democratic alternative to the Venice Film Festival, Cannes remains a key platform for auteur cinema and new names, per the source. Its top prize is the Palme d'Or, awarded for best feature film.
The 2026 selection also includes "Minotaur" by Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev, which will compete for the Palme d'Or. Organizers have said 95% of the selection has been announced, and the list may still grow.
