Robert De Niro will be awarded the Honorary Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, the festival announced. The prestigious tribute will be presented during the opening ceremony on May 13.
Following the ceremony, De Niro will participate in a masterclass at the Debussy Theater on May 14.
“I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes,” De Niro shared about the honor. “Especially now when there’s so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It’s like coming home.”
De Niro has had a long and celebrated connection with the festival. He last attended in 2023 for the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, and 14 years ago, he served as the jury president.
The actor joins a prestigious list of past Honorary Palme d’Or recipients, including Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster.
Additionally, French actress Juliette Binoche will take over from Greta Gerwig as the jury president for this year’s festival. This will mark the second consecutive year that a woman has led the jury at Cannes.
Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux revealed in an exclusive interview with Variety that the festival committee still has 50 films to watch to finalize the Official Selection, which will be partially announced on April 10 in Paris. The lineup is expected to feature a strong presence from American filmmakers, with directors like Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Kelly Reichardt, Ari Aster, Kristen Stewart, and Wes Anderson anticipated to be part of the program.
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