On the first night of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, Meryl Streep will be presented with the honorary Palme d’Or, according to Variety. The attendance of several Hollywood icons will enhance this famous event even more, making it an incredible accomplishment for this year’s Cannes edition.
Notable performances include George Lucas accepting the honorary Palme d’Or at the closing ceremony, Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” competing, and George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and Kevin Costner’s Western epic “Horizon, an American Saga” playing out of competition.
Greta Gerwig, the director of “Barbie” and the festival’s jury president, will be joining Streep. The two had previously collaborated on “Little Women.” It will be Streep’s long-awaited, decades-long return to Cannes with the honorary homage. Her most recent festival attendance seems to have been for Fred Schepisi’s “Evil Angels a Cry in the Dark,” for which she took home the Best Actress award in 1989.
Meryl Streep honored with prestigious Cannes award
Streep declared in a statement, “I am immeasurably honored to receive the news of this prestigious award. To win a prize at Cannes, for the international community of artists, has always represented the highest achievement in the art of filmmaking. To stand in the shadow of those who have previously been honored is humbling and thrilling in equal part. I look forward to coming to France to thank everyone in person this May.”
Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Film Festival, and Thierry Frémaux, general delegate, both stated that Meryl Streep belongs to everyone. Notable films such as Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, The Bridges of Madison County, The Devil Wears Prada, and Mamma Mia! were recognized as having inspired our mutual creativity and passion for cinema.
Streep’s place in our hearts and the annals of film history is reinforced by her nearly 50-year career and her portrayal of numerous cinematic masterpieces. Actress Streep is known for being reticent and reclusive. She rarely participates in film festivals, and Fremaux has been wooing her for several years to return to the Croisette in an honorary capacity.
While in Cannes, Streep may participate in a discussion in addition to the gala ceremony honoring her extensive—and still vibrant—career. Michael Douglas, who won the prize on the opening night of the previous year, will be replaced by her. Jeanne Moreau, Marco Bellocchio, Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jane Fonda, Agnès Varda, Forest Whitaker, and Jodie Foster are among the previous Cannes awardees.
Meryl Streep: A career of iconic performances
Known for portraying powerful, nuanced female roles, Streep has received 21 Oscar nominations, winning three of them for The Iron Lady, Sophie’s Choice, and Kramer vs. Kramer, for which he allegedly altered a pivotal monologue.
With Robert De Niro in Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter, she made her breakthrough in 1978. In addition, she starred with Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County and had renowned performances in Sidney Pollack’s romantic epic Out of Africa, both of which starred Robert Redford. She has also demonstrated excellence in lighter material, such as the musical Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada.
As previously reported, Quentin Dupieux’s The Second Act, starring Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel, and Raphaël Quenard, will open the festival. Camille Cottin, who made her breakthrough in Call My Agent! and went on to act in films such as Stillwater and House of Gucci, will emcee the opening and closing ceremonies.
The festival’s high-profile lineup of films includes Yorgos Lanthimos’s stylized three-part story Kinds of Kindness, which reunites the director of Poor Things with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe; Jacques Audiard’s musical melodrama Emilia Perez, starring Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez.
Alongside it includes Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, starring Gary Oldman; David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds, starring Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger; Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, in which Sebastian Stan plays Donald Trump; and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, a female-driven horror film from Universal Pictures and Working Title Films. The 77th Cannes Film Festival is scheduled for May 14–25.
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