George Lucas to Receive an Honorary Palme d’Or At the 77th Cannes Film Festival
George Lucas is set to receive one of the highest honors in filmmaking on May 25, when he is bestowed with the Honorary Palme d’Or at the closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
The Honorary Palme d’Or is given sporadically to directors or actors who have achieved a notable body of work but never won a competitive Palme d’Or.
Photo: Photofest
In receiving the award, Lucas will join the likes of Ingmar Bergman, Woody Allen, Jane Fonda, Clint Eastwood, Marco Bellocchio, Tom Cruise, and Michael Douglas as luminaries who have recieved the honor. Last year, Harrison Ford took home the coveted award.
Harrison Ford. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
“The Festival de Cannes is delighted to pay tribute to one of the greatest figures of contemporary cinema. A man with an extraordinary career, who brings together great entertainment and innovation, mythology and modernity and cinephilia and technology,” said the festival.
Lucas Thanks Cannes
Upon news that he was being honored with the Palme d’Or, Lucas noted that Cannes has always held a special place in his heart and was one of the first festivals to take note of him.
“The Festival de Cannes has always held a special place in my heart. I was surprised and elated when my first film, THX-1138, was selected to be shown in a new program for first time directors called the Directors’ Fortnight,” he began.
Hayden Christenson and George Lucas. Photo: IMDB
“Since then, I have returned to the festival on many occasions in a variety of capacities as a writer, director and producer. I am truly honored by this special recognition, which means a great deal to me.”
Cannes Lauds Lucas’s Career
In announcing that Lucas would be bestowed the award, Cannes lauded the visionary filmmaker’s storied career.
Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
“Like Tolkien in literature, he imagined a universe, with its geography, populations, languages, moral values and even its vehicles. This exceptional ambition, which initially frightened 20th Century Fox’s producers and led to a grueling post-production period, was nonetheless the recipe for unprecedented success: the film captivated the American crowds and became a worldwide socio-cultural phenomenon, which continues to this day.”
Lucas working on A New Hope. Photo: Lucasfilm
The 77th Cannes Film Festival will run from May 14 through May 25. Lucas will be honored at the festival’s closing ceremony.
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