Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson is set to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, organisers announced on Thursday.
The prestigious award recognises Jackson's "body of work that blends Hollywood blockbusters and films d’auteur with extraordinary artistic vision and technological audacity."
The director, known for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, described the honour as "one of the greatest privileges of my career."
Jackson reflected on his long association with the festival, recalling his first visit in 1988 to sell his debut film, Bad Taste, and a return in 2002 to preview The Fellowship of the Ring.
He added: "This festival has always celebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognized among the filmmakers and the artists whose work continues to inspire me."
Last year, similar honorary Palme d'Or prizes were awarded to Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington.
The New Zealand filmmaker has not made a feature film since 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies. Since then, he has made the World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) for the BBC and The Beatles: Get Back (2021) for Apple TV+.
Jackson, 60, told Screen Rant last year that he is currently working on at least three scripts for feature films, including a new Lord of the Rings adaptation.
“We are producing and have been writing The Hunt for Gollum, which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year,” said the filmmaker. “I've enjoyed working on docs, whether they show I’ve grown old or not, and obviously the Get Back Beatles project. I've enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that'll probably carry on.”
Jackson, however, went on to say that he is “more excited” about an ongoing project that has nothing to do with film: a scientific attempt to bring the Moa, a giant bird, back from extinction.
“To me, de-extincting the Moa [bird] would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make,” he continued.
“I've made a lot of movies, but to see the giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that I think would supersede anything at this point in time."
The 77th edition of the Cannes Fim Festival is scheduled to run from 12 to 23 May.
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