The next recipient of the Cannes Film Festival’s illustrious honorary Palme d’Or has been selected. It will be bestowed this year to none other than iconic director Peter Jackson.
With a career dating back many years, Jackson’s first feature-length film came out in 1987, dubbed Bad Taste. Written, produced, and directed by Jackson, the film served as a zany horror-comedy blend that saw a group of aliens attempt to use the inhabitants of Earth for a new source of food. From there, Jackson would go on to make other cult classic horror films, such as Braindead and The Frighteners.
In 2001, however, Jackson’s entire career took a massive shift as he adapted J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Lord Of The Rings for the big screen. Originally thought to be unfilmable, Jackson’s take on the journey of Frodo Baggins became a major cultural and technological milestone, and would sweep the Oscars. The trilogy’s conclusion, The Return Of The King, would make Oscar history as it won all 11 awards it was nominated for, including a win for Peter Jackson for Best Director, as well as Best Picture.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Jackson himself was ecstatic upon learning that he had been chosen for the award. “This festival has always celebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognised among the filmmakers and the artists whose work continues to inspire me,” he said. Jackson is the latest in a long line of artists to receive the honorary award. Just last year, it was given to both Denzel Washington and Robert De Niro, with other past honorees including Jane Fonda, Clint Eastwood, and even Harrison Ford.
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