Peter Jackson collected the honorary Palme d’Or from Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood at the opening night ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival tonight (May 12).
The evening, which was followed by the world premiere of Pierre Salvadori’s The Electric Kiss, was heavy on stars and light on politics.
Jackson received a long standing ovation before accepting the award and called it “miraculous and unexpected” because “I don’t make Palme d’Or films” and later in his speech adding: “I’m not a Palme d’Or kind of guy.”
He spoke about coming to Cannes in 2001 to screen a 20-minute preview sequence from The Fellowship Of The Ring that he said “changed the perception of the film so by the time the film came out in the cinema, there was an anticipation that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been to Cannes.”
French actress Eye Haidara was hosting the ceremony, with Grammy-winning US violinist Miri Ben-Ari providing the musical background.
The jury headed up by president Park Chan-wook also took to the stage. Demi Moore, Chloe Zhao, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Stellan Skarsgard, Isaach De Bankole, Diego Cespedes and Paul Laverty made up the jury.
Other stars in attendance included Jane Fonda, Gong Li, Heidi Klum, James Franco, Emily in Paris stars William Abadie and Philippine Leroy Beaulieu, plus auteurs Claude Lelouch, Jacques Audiard and Cedric Klapisch and local industry execs like CNC President Gaetan Bruel, Unifrance’s Gilles Pelisson and Daniela Elstner, mk2 Films’ Nathaniel and Elisha Karmitz, Chi-Fou-Mi producer Hugo Selignac and CEO of Mediawan Pictures Elisabeth d’Arvieu.
Fonda and Li also earned a standing ovation as the duo declared the event open. Li told the crowd: “Jane comes from the west and I come from the east. Today we stand together here, this is the magic of the Cannes film festival.”
Fonda added that “cinema has always been an act of resistance,” adding: “let’s celebrate audacity, freedom and the fierce act of creation.”
The Cannes Film Festival runs through May 23.
