Wong Kar Wai has accepted the presidency of the jury of the 59th Cannes Film Festival which shall take place between May 17-28, 2006. He will be the first Chinese president in the Festival's history.

Revealed at Cannes in 1989 with As Tears Go By, he presented in 1997 Happy Together in the Official Selection and was awarded the prize for Best Director. In 2000, In the Mood for Love, selected by Cannes in competition, was crowned with public success and lauded by international critics. Wong Kar Wai returned in 2004 in the Official Selection with 2046, hailed by reviewers as a "sublime exploration of inner time".

He declares: "I am honoured that Gilles Jacob, Thierry Frémaux and their team have invited me to serve as jury president for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Each city has its own language. In Cannes, it is the language of dreams. Yet it is difficult to judge one's dream much less compare it to another.

There is an old Chinese saying: One can never expect the wind, but should always keep one's window open.

Along with my fellow jurors, I look forward to sharing the dreams created by some of the most gifted talents in contemporary cinema. And our goal will be to keep our windows open as wide as possible."

In the words of the President of the Festival, Gilles Jacob: "We are particularly delighted to have Wong Kar Wai as jury president. His films immediately strike us by their plastic splendour and nostalgic amorous emotion in the great romantic tradition."