Cannes 2025: Robert de Niro Palme d’Or of Honor

Three days before the revelation of the official selection of the next Cannes festival, we would have bet on another ad to open this week under the sign of the Croisette: that of the opening film. Indeed, this prestigious showcase would go like a glove to the new Wes Anderson film, The Phoenician Schemewhose trailer has been broadcast online online today.

Request that the director had already had the honors to open the festival in 2012 with Moonrise Kingdom – which had not prevented the recall of Baz Luhrmann (Red mill et Gatsby the Magnificent), nor the omnipresence of Woody Allen (New York Stories, Hollywood Ending, Midnight in Paris et Café Society)-and that the French release of his twelfth feature film is scheduled for May 28. That is to say a few days after the closure of the 78th edition of the festival, which will take place from Tuesday 13 to Saturday May 24.

No, since this evening, we know the name of the first winner of the honorary golden palm of this year. It is the American actor as famous as Robert de Niro. He will receive the highest distinction from the festival during the opening ceremony, on Tuesday May 13. And he will hold a public masterclass in the Debussy room the next day.

Among the other (rare) information we have to date outside the name of the president of the jury, the French actress Juliette Binoche (cf. our article in early February), there is that of the master of opening and closing ceremonies, the French actor Laurent Lafitte, who repeats in this post after 2016. As well as, also since today, that of the president of the Jury of the Queer Palm, the French director Christophe Honoré (Marcello Mio). His latest film was also presented in competition in Cannes last year. He also competed in Queer Palm, whose winner was then the Romanian film Three kilometers until the end of the world of Emanuel Parvu.

The immense Robert de Niro (* 1943) is by no means an unknown on the Croisette. Over the years, there have been a stopover very often, thanks in particular to his four films selected in competition: Taxi Driver – Palme d’Or in 1976 – and The puppet waltz de Martin Scorsese, Mission by Roland Joffé – Palme d’Or in 1986 – and The blacklist by Irwin Winkler. Excluding competition, we remember more or less about his passages to Cannes with 1900 by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1976, Mad Dog and Glory by John Mcnaughton in 1993, What Just Happened ? by Barry Levinson in 2008 and his latest collaboration with Martin Scorsese to date, Killers of the Flower Moontwo years ago.

Above all, de Niro had held the prestigious position of president of the jury during the 64th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. His jury composed among others of Olivier Assayas, Jude Law, Uma Thurman and Johnnie To had awarded his golden palm to gold The Tree of Life of Terrence Malick.

In addition to his films presented in Cannes, from Niro can also take advantage of cinematographic works as striking as The godfather 2nd part by Francis Ford Coppola – Oscar for best film in 1975 -, Travel at the end of hell by Michael Cimino – Oscar for best film in 1979 -, Once upon a time in America de sergio lobe, Brazil by Terry Gilliam, Angel Heart at the gates of hell They Alan Parker, The incorruptible Brian de Palma, Stanley et Iris Martin ride, The awakening by Penny Marshall, Heat de michael man, Copland by James Mangold, Jackie Brown Quentin Tarantino, Men of influence by Barry Levinson and Joker From Todd Phillips – Golden Lion at the Venice Festival in 2019.

And even if its choices since the beginning of the century and the double success of Mafia Blues from Harold Ramis and My stepfather and me De Jay Roach are mainly focused on nice comedies, Robert de Niro will forever keep a place of honor in the history of cinema through his privileged collaboration with the director Martin Scorsese. This was punctuated, apart from the aforementioned titles, of Mean Streets, New York New York, Raging Bull, The freed, Live nerves, Casino et The Irishman.

Finally, Robert de Niro had in no way waited for the coronation by the Cannes Film Festival to be recognized at its true value. Thus, he has been appointed ninety times to the Oscars, including eight times for his interpretations and as a producer of The Irishman. He had won it twice, as the best actor in a supporting role for The godfather 2nd part in 1975 and as best actor for Raging Bull Six years later. In terms of honorary prizes, he received that of the American Film Institute in 2003 and that of the Screen Actors Guild in 2020. On the Festivals side, that of Venice had preceded that of Cannes, since he had already attributed his honorary gold lion to de Niro in 1993! In Berlin, his second film as a director State reasons had won the money bear for the best artistic contribution in 2007.

Robert de Niro is the sixth American actor in this way in Cannes, after Clint Eastwood, Forest Whitaker, Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford. He succeeded the three former presidents of the Jury Jeanne Moreau, Bernardo Bertolucci and Clint Eastwood having subsequently received a palm of gold of honor. At 81, Robert de Niro is slightly older than the Italian director Marco Bellocchio who had received the golden palm in 2021. On the other hand, he is younger than the oldest honorary winners were: Alain Delon, 83 years old in 2019, Agnès Varda who was 86 years old in 2015 and the unbeatable Manoel de Oliveira at 99.