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| Peter Jackson receiving an Honorary Palme d'Or Photo: © Sameer AL-DOUMY / AFP, courtesy of the Cannes Film Festival |
The Cannes Film Festival opened last night with a ceremony hosted by French star Eye Haïdara (Six Days In Spring), which saw Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson receive an Honorary Palme d’Or. The New Zealand filmmaker remarked on his shock at receiving the accolade, which was presented to him by Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in the franchise.
Wood noted how the role had changed his career, while also paying tribute to Jackson’s tenacity as a young filmmaker, when he made Bad Taste in his spare time from his job. He said that myth has it Jackson’s family ate sausages for four years because the young filmmaker was constantly using the oven to back props for the film.
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| Elijah Wood and Peter Jackson on the red carpet in Cannes Photo: © Thibaud MORITZ / AFP, courtesy of the Cannes Film Festival |
Jackson said he was surprised to get the call because he didn’t see himself as a “Palme d’Or person” but later joked that he saw it as “an apology” for Bad Taste not winning the Palme d’Or. That film did, however, come to the Cannes Marche du Film, where it sold to many territories. He noted that he “went home as a filmmaker” after the success.
His honour was topped off by a performance of The Beatles Get Back by Theodora and Oklou in a nod to Jackson’s documentary series The Beatles: Get Back. Jackson visibly enjoyed it, singing along, as did much of the audience.
In addition to the jury members also being present at the opening ceremony, there was also an appearance by Chinese star Gong Li alongside American A-lister Jane Fonda. Fonda said: “I believe in the power of voices. On the screen, off the screen and voices in the street, especially now.”
The pair noted the importance of East meeting West adding the festival was a celebration of “boldness, freedom, and the fierce act of creation”.
The festival then got underway with a screening of Pierre Salvadori’s The Electric Kiss (La Vénus électrique) and enjoyably quirky romantic comedy starring Anaïs Demoustier as a fairground worker who is accidentally mistaken for a medium by a grieving man (Pio Marmaï) and finds herself both playing along and falling in love. The film, co-starring Gilles Lellouche was a buoyant end to a warm evening both inside and outside the Palais.
