Washington [US], March 6 : In a major honour for one of cinema's most influential fantasy storytellers, acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson will receive the prestigious Honorary Palme d'Or at the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, scheduled to run from May 12 to 23.
The Oscar-winning New Zealand director, best known for bringing 'The Lord of the Rings' to the big screen, will join an illustrious list of past honourees including Agnès Varda, Marco Bellocchio, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep and last year's recipient Robert De Niro, as per Deadline.
Reacting to the recognition, Jackson described the honour as one of the most meaningful moments of his career.
"To be honoured with an Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes is one of the greatest privileges of my career," Jackson said, adding, "Cannes has been a meaningful part of my filmmaking journey," as quoted by Deadline.
He recalled two early milestones linked to the festival, attending the market in 1988 with his debut feature 'Bad Taste' and presenting a preview of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' at Cannes in 2001.
"This festival has always ce lebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I'm incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognised among the filmmakers and artists whose work continues to inspire me," he added, as quoted by Deadline.
According to the festival, the preview screening of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', shown seven months before its global release, marked a turning point. Initial skepticism among attendees reportedly turned into widespread enthusiasm, setting the stage for the monumental success of Jackson's Middle-earth saga.
The trilogy, which continued with 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,' went on to win 17 Academy Awards in total, including 11 for 'Return of the King'.
The films collectively grossed around USD 3 billion worldwide, as per Deadline.
The honorary Palme d'Or also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the franchise's launch, beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001.
Welcoming the filmmaker, Cannes President Iris Knobloch praised Jackson's creative influence.
"For its 79th year, the festival welcomes and thanks a filmmaker of boundless creativity who has brought prestige to the heroic fantasy genre," she said.
Festival director Thierry Fremaux suggested that Jackson's work reshaped cinematic spectacle.
"There was a before and an after Peter Jackson in the history of cinema," Fremaux said, adding that the director's large-scale storytelling has permanently transformed Hollywood filmmaking.
Before the global success of 'The Lord of the Rings', Jackson earned critical acclaim with films such as 'Braindead and Heavenly Creatures'. He later directed 'King Kong' and returned to Middle-earth with 'The Hobbit' between 2012 and 2014.
More recently, he explored documentary filmmaking with 'They Shall Not Grow Old' and the music documentary series 'The Beatles: Get Back'.
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