The () is an award given at the Cannes Film Festival. It is awarded to directors, actors and other personalities from the world of cinema who have distinguished themselves in the art. It joins the Palme d'Or as the festival's highest prize.
The prize was introduced at the 1997 edition by the festival's organizing committee on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Festival as the "Palme des Palmes", being also an homage to Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman who had never been awarded a competitive Palme.
Only in 2002, the festival began to award it regularly to individuals who have achieved a notable body of work in the global cinema industry, but who had never won a competitive . In 2024, Studio Ghibli became the first and only studio to win it.
Some past main competition jury presidents have won the prize, including: Jeanne Moreau, Clint Eastwood, Bernardo Bertolucci and Robert De Niro.
As of 2026, Studio Ghibli is the only non-Western winner of the prize. Most of the winners are Europeans or Americans filmmakers, actors or producers. Ghibli was also the first production company to receive the award, at the 2024 edition.
Recipients
1990s Year Recipient Profession Nationality of Recipient Ref. 1997 Ingmar Bergman Filmmaker Sweden
2000s Year Recipient Profession Nationality of Recipient Ref. 2002 Woody Allen Filmmaker and actor United States 2003 Jeanne Moreau Actress France 2005 Catherine Deneuve 2007 Jane FondaActress and producer United States 2008 Manoel de Oliveira Filmmaker Portugal 2009 Clint Eastwood Actor and filmmaker United States
2010s Year Recipient Profession Nationality of Recipient Ref.2011 Jean-Paul Belmondo Actor France Bernardo Bertolucci Filmmaker Italy 2015 Agnès Varda Filmmaker France 2016 Jean-Pierre Léaud Actor 2017 Jeffrey Katzenberg Producer United States 2019 Alain Delon Actor France
2020s Year Recipient Profession Nationality of Recipient Ref.2021 Marco Bellocchio Filmmaker Italy Jodie Foster Actress and filmmaker United States 2022 Forest Whitaker Actor and producer Tom Cruise 2023 Michael Douglas Harrison Ford 2024Meryl StreepActress George LucasFilmmaker and producer Studio GhibliAnimation studioJapan 2025 Robert De Niro Actor and producer United States Denzel Washington Actor, director, and producer 2026 Peter Jackson Filmmaker and producer New Zealand Barbra Streisand Actress, singer and filmmaker United States John Travolta Actor
See also
Palme d'Or Academy Honorary Award Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award Honorary César Honorary Golden Bear Honorary Goya Award Nastro d'Argento Lifetime Achievement Award
References
External links Festival de Cannes.com Cannes Film Festival IMDb