New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson will be honored with the prestigious Honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2026. The award recognizes Jackson’s outstanding contribution to cinema and his ability to blend blockbuster entertainment with artistic storytelling.
Jackson expressed his gratitude, describing the recognition as one of the greatest privileges of his career. The director also reflected on his long relationship with the festival, recalling how he first attended the Cannes marketplace in 1988 with his debut film Bad Taste. Years later, in 2001, the festival hosted a special preview of footage from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, months before the film’s global release.
A Cinematic Milestone
That early preview helped ignite excitement for what would become one of the most successful and influential film franchises in history: the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The trilogy—The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)—won 17 Academy Awards and earned billions at the global box office.
Based on the fantasy novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, the trilogy revolutionized filmmaking through groundbreaking visual effects and large-scale production. Shot entirely in New Zealand and developed with Jackson’s visual effects company Wētā FX, the films combined innovative technology with traditional filmmaking techniques, setting new standards for epic storytelling on screen.
Beyond Middle-earth
After the global success of The Lord of the Rings, Jackson directed the remake of King Kong and later returned to Tolkien’s world with The Hobbit film trilogy between 2012 and 2014.
In recent years, the filmmaker has focused on ambitious documentary projects. His film They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) restored and colorized archival footage from World War I, while the documentary series The Beatles: Get Back explored rare behind-the-scenes moments from legendary band The Beatles.
Festival President Iris Knobloch praised Jackson’s boundless creativity, while Festival Director Thierry Frémaux described him as a filmmaker who permanently transformed modern cinema through spectacle and storytelling.
The 79th Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 12 to May 23, 2026, with the official selection of films set to be announced on April 9, 2026.