Published: : April 10, 2025, 01:13 PM
Renowned actor and two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro is set to be honored at the 78th Cannes Film Festival with the prestigious Honorary Palme d’Or. The award will be presented to him during the festival's grand opening ceremony on May 13, 2025. De Niro, a longstanding friend of the festival, was last seen on the Croisette in 2023 for the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
The day after the award ceremony, De Niro will participate in a special masterclass held on the stage of the Debussy Theater. This session is expected to provide fans, film students, and fellow filmmakers a rare opportunity to hear insights from one of Hollywood’s most iconic performers.
In a statement shared by the festival, De Niro expressed his deep affection for Cannes, saying, “I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes. Especially now, when there’s so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It’s like coming home.”
De Niro’s relationship with Cannes spans decades. He served as the jury president in 2011 and has had numerous films showcased at the festival. Notably, in 1976, he starred in both 1900 by Bernardo Bertolucci and Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese — the latter winning the Palme d’Or that year. He also opened the festival in 1982 with Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and returned the following year with Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. In 1986, he was back again with Roland Joffé’s The Mission, which went on to win the Palme d’Or.
The 2025 Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 13 to May 24. This year, French actress Juliette Binoche will preside over the jury, taking the reins from last year’s president, Greta Gerwig. This marks a historic moment, as it will be only the second time in Cannes history that women have led the jury in back-to-back years, a precedent set in 1966 when Sophia Loren succeeded Olivia de Havilland.
