The life and achievements of filmmaker George Lucas will be celebrated at Cannes in May, as he’s to receive an Honorary Palme d’Or.
George Lucas, the legendary filmmaker behind such classics as THX-1138 and American Graffiti, is to receive an Honorary Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The award will be handed over during the glitzy event’s closing ceremony in May.
In a statement shared with Variety, the writer, director and Red Tails producer said, “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. 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.”
George Lucas will be one of several Hollywood greats to appear at the 77th Cannes festival this year. George Miller is set to debut his Mad Max prequel Furiosa there; Kevin Costner is also set to show off his new western, Horizon: An American Saga. There are also rumours that Francis Ford Coppola might show up with his new sci-fi passion project, Megalopolis – a $100m+ extravaganza that is still looking for a distributor (edit: this has now been confirmed – Megalopolis is to screen in competition, meaning it’s in contention for its own Palme d’Or.)
A Hollywood film appearing at Cannes doesn’t necessarily guarantee its success – having Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny premiere at the festival didn’t help its box office chances – though for actor Tom Cruise, having Top Gun: Maverick appear at the festival seemed to work like a charm.
George Lucas will receive his honorary award on the 25th May – a highly significant date, given it’s the very date a little film called Star Wars came out in 1977. Space fantasies? They’ll never catch on.
