Cannes 2021: Jodie Foster To Receive Honorary Palme D'or At 74th Cannes Film Festival
Veteran Hollywood actor and filmmaker Jodie Foster will receive the honorary Palme d'or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the organisers announced Wednesday.
Veteran
Hollywood
actor
and
filmmaker
Jodie
Foster
will
receive
the
honorary
Palme
d'or
at
the
74th
Cannes
Film
Festival
2021,
the
organisers
announced
Wednesday.
Foster
will
be
a
special
guest
at
the
Cannes
2021
opening
ceremony
on
July
6
to
collect
her
award,
which
recognises
artistic
career
achievement
and
a
commitment
to
major
issues.
The
58-year-old
actor
said
Cannes
holds
a
special
place
in
her
career
spanning
over
five
decades.
She
first
attended
the
film
gala
in
1976
as
a
teenager
with
"Taxi
Driver",
which
ultimately
left
with
the
Palme
d'Or,
the
highest
prize
awarded
at
the
festival.
"Cannes
is
a
festival
to
which
I
owe
so
much,
it
has
completely
changed
my
life.
My
first
time
on
the
Croisette
was
a
defining
moment
for
me.
Showcasing
one
of
my
films
here
has
always
been
a
dream
of
mine," said
Foster
in
a
statement.
A
child
prodigy,
the
actor
is
best
known
for
her
Academy
Award
winning
turns
in
"The
Accused" and
"The
Silence
of
the
Lambs",
along
with
other
notable
titles
like
"Sommersby",
"Panic
Room"
and
"Flightplan".
Foster
made
her
directorial
debut
in
1991
with
"Little
Man
Tate".
A
total
of
seven
of
her
films,
as
actor
or
director,
have
screened
at
the
prestigious
film
extravaganza.
"I
am
flattered
that
Cannes
thought
of
me
and
I
am
very
honoured
to
be
able
to
share
a
few
words
of
wisdom
or
tell
an
adventure
or
two
with
a
new
generation
of
filmmakers,"
she
added.
Festival
President
Pierre
Lescure
said
Foster
has
provided
the
team
with
an
amazing
gift
by
coming
to
celebrate
the
return
of
the
festival
on
the
Croisette.
Cannes
Film
Festival
was
cancelled
last
year
in
the
wake
of
the
coronavirus
pandemic.
"Her
aura
is
unparalleled:
she
embodies
modernity,
the
radiant
intelligence
of
independence
and
the
need
for
freedom,"
added
Lescure.
"Jodie
never
ceases
to
reinvent
herself.
She
questions
with
her
piercing
gaze,
learns
from
others,
and
is
willing
to
step
back
from
her
beliefs
in
order
to
forge
new
morals.
Do
what
is
fair.
An
idea
that
she
strives
to
convey
in
the
decisions
she
makes
as
an
actress
and
director,
and
which
makes
her
so
precious
during
these
confusing
times.
we
will
honour
her
with
warmth
and
admiration,"
said
the
festival's
General
Delegate,
Thierry
Fremaux.
Previous
recipients
of
the
honorary
Palme
d'Or
include
Jeanne
Moreau,
Bernardo
Bertolucci,
Jane
Fonda,
Jean-Paul
Belmondo,
Manoel
de
Oliveira,
Jean-Pierre
Leaud,
Agnès
Varda
and
Alain
Delon.
Leos
Carax'
Annette
will
open
the
upcoming
edition
of
the
Cannes
Film
Festival,
which
has
filmmaker
Spike
Lee
will
serve
as
the
jury
head.
The
gala
will
close
on
July
17.
Foster
most
recently
won
the
best
supporting
actress
Golden
Globe
for
her
performance
in
the
true
story
legal
drama
feature
The
Mauritanian.