Peter Jackson received one of cinema’s highest honours last night as the legendary director was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or during the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival.
The emotional moment turned into a surprise The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring reunion when the award was presented by Elijah Wood, who famously played Frodo Baggins in Jackson’s blockbuster fantasy trilogy.
Peter Jackson receives an Honorary Palme d'Or at #Cannes from Frodo actor Elijah Wood. Accepting the honor, Jackson says it's "never something I never ever thought I would win, ever":
"Thank you for this very unexpected and miraculous award. A Palme d’Or is never something I… pic.twitter.com/RwTnPm4pv0
— Variety (@Variety) May 12, 2026
Wood reflected on first meeting Jackson as a teenager after sending in an audition tape filmed with friends in the woods of Griffith Park.
“He had seen a VHS tape I’d made with friends in the woods of Griffith Park, and now they wanted to meet the young man who had sent it,” Wood told the audience inside the Palais des Festivals.
The actor said learning he had been cast as Frodo changed the course of his life forever.
“I sat down on the floor of my bedroom and I understood with the whole of my being my life had just been divided into before and after,” he said. “And I know I’m far from the only person who has had their life changed by Peter Jackson.”
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Jackson embraced Wood on stage before joking about how much time had passed since they first worked together.
“I’ve grown a little bit of facial hair,” the director laughed, before quipping that Wood could now play a role in a remake of Gone With the Wind.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker then delivered a heartfelt speech about how Cannes played a major role in helping save The Lord of the Rings franchise at a time when many believed the ambitious trilogy would fail.
Director Peter Jackson with actors Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood & Lee Pace at his Walk of Fame ceremony. Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Jackson recalled the uncertainty surrounding the films during the chaotic AOL-Time Warner merger in the early 2000s, when media coverage questioned whether audiences would embrace the fantasy epic.
“What happens if the first film fails? What are they going to do about films two and three because they’re already made?” Jackson remembered people asking at the time.
He explained that New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye decided to bring 20 minutes of unfinished footage from The Fellowship of the Ring to Cannes in 2001 in an effort to change public perception.
“Bob Shaye rolled the dice,” Jackson said. “We brought that 20 minutes here in 2001 in May, and it really changed the perception of the film.”
“By the time the film came out there was an anticipation that there wouldn’t have been if not for Cannes.”
The gamble ultimately paid off, with The Lord of the Rings film trilogy becoming one of the most successful franchises in cinema history and winning 17 Academy Awards including an Ocar for Best Motion Picture in 2004.
More than 25 years later, the franchise continues to expand. Jackson executive produced 2024 animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, while Andy Serkis is set to direct 2027’s Hunt for Gollum.
This year’s Cannes opening ceremony also featured appearances from jury president Park Chan-wook alongside stars including Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård and Irish actress Ruth Negga.
Jane Fonda and Gong Li officially declared the Festival open together before the premiere of French romantic comedy The Electric Kiss.
Jackson now joins a prestigious list of honorary Palme d’Or recipients including Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise.
