Overview
- The New Zealand director, 64, will receive the Palme d'or d'honneur during the May 12 opening ceremony of the May 12–23 festival.
- Jackson called the award "one of the greatest moments of my career" in the festival's announcement.
- Festival leaders Iris Knobloch and Thierry Frémaux praised his creativity, with Frémaux saying there is "clearly a before and after Peter Jackson."
- Cannes helped launch his global breakthrough with a 26‑minute exclusive preview of The Lord of the Rings shown on May 13, 2001.
- Since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, he has focused on documentaries after the sudden death of cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, which he says changed his creative path.