Peter Jackson was awarded an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, presented by Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Wood recalled meeting Jackson at age 18 after sending an audition tape, describing the moment as life-changing.
Accepting the award, Jackson joked about his facial hair since their first meeting 27 years ago. He then delivered a heartfelt speech, crediting Cannes for helping to save the 'Lord of the Rings' franchise amid negative press during the AOL-Time Warner merger.
Jackson explained that New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye decided to screen 20 minutes of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' at the 2001 festival to counter media speculation that the ambitious three-film shoot would fail. 'Bob's great gamble really changed the perception of the film,' Jackson said, noting that Cannes created anticipation that otherwise would not have existed.
The franchise continues, with Jackson executive producing 2024's 'The War of the Rohirrim,' Andy Serkis directing 2027's 'Hunt for Gollum,' and Stephen Colbert and his son Peter developing 'Shadows of the Past.' Jackson joins past honorary Palme recipients including Agnès Varda, Meryl Streep, and Tom Cruise.
