New Zealand film director Peter Jackson, who directed the movie The Lord of the Rings, will receive the honorary Palme d'Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival (hereinafter Cannes).
According to Cannes on the 5th (local time), director Peter Jackson was selected as the recipient of the honorary Palme d'Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The award will be presented at the Cannes opening ceremony on May 12.
Cannes said the reason for the selection was "recognition of a body of work that spans Hollywood blockbusters and auteur films, outstanding artistic vision, and boldness in technology."
Jackson said, "Receiving the Cannes honorary Palme d'Or is one of the greatest honors of my career," adding, "I am grateful to be recognized at Cannes, which has always celebrated bold, visionary films, among filmmakers and artists I respect."
Cannes President Iris Knobloch said, "As we mark the 79th festival, we are pleased to welcome and express our gratitude to a filmmaker of boundless creativity who added renown to the heroic fantasy genre."
Jackson first attended the Cannes Film Market in 1998 with his debut film Bad Taste. In 2001, ahead of the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, he also unveiled some scenes at Cannes in advance.
In particular, the three-film series that continued with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) achieved worldwide box-office success and is regarded as Jackson's signature work. He then helmed the remake of King Kong in 2005, and from 2012 directed the three-part prequel The Hobbit, which deals with the story before The Lord of the Rings.