Cannes 2026: Director Peter Jackson to receive honorary Palme d'Or
What's the story
The prestigious Cannes Film Festival has announced that acclaimed director Peter Jackson will be honored with an honorary Palme d'Or at this year's event. The three-time Oscar winner, best known for his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will receive the award during the opening ceremony of the festival's 79th edition on May 12.
Award details
Jackson's work described by Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival stated that the honorary Palme d'Or is a tribute to Jackson's body of work, which seamlessly "combines Hollywood blockbusters with auteur filmmaking." The festival described his work as having an "extraordinary artistic vision and technological audacity." Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Agnes Varda, Marco Bellocchio, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, and Tom Cruise.
Director's statement
Jackson's reaction to the honor
Reacting to the news, Jackson said that being honored with an honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes is "one of the greatest privileges" of his career. He added that Cannes has played a significant role in his filmmaking journey. He recalled attending the Festival Marketplace with his first movie, Bad Taste, and screening a preview sequence from The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001.
Career milestones
Jackson's longstanding relationship with Cannes
Jackson has a long-standing relationship with the Cannes Film Festival. In May 2001, he presented 26 minutes of footage from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on the Croisette, months before its worldwide release. This presentation, initially met with skepticism, eventually sparked interest in what would become one of cinema's most successful fantasy franchises.
Festival tribute
'Peter Jackson has boundless creativity': Cannes president
Cannes president Iris Knobloch expressed pride in honoring a filmmaker of "boundless creativity who has brought prestige to the heroic fantasy genre." Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux added, "There is clearly a before and an after Peter Jackson. Larger-than-life cinema is his trademark, and his all-encompassing art of entertainment is particularly ambitious." He further praised Jackson for having "permanently transformed Hollywood cinema and its conception of the spectacle."
Career highlights
Other notable works of the director
Apart from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson has directed King Kong and The Hobbit trilogy. His early career was marked by cult low-budget splatter horrors like Bad Taste, Braindead, and Meet the Feebles. More recently, he has ventured into documentaries such as They Shall Not Grow Old, which restored and colorized WWI archival footage, and The Beatles: Get Back docuseries.