American actress Meryl Streep will return to Cannes after a 35-year absence, this time to receive the honorary Palme d’Or at the prestigious film festival.
She will be rewarded during the opening ceremony of the 77e Cannes Film Festival, May 14.
Previous recipients of this award include Jeanne Moreau, Catherine Deneuve, Jane Fonda, Agnès Varda and Jodie Foster.
Meryl Streep had only been to the Cannes Film Festival once, in 1989, to receive the Best Actor Award for the film A cry in the night (A Cry in the Dark).
The president of the festival, Iris Knobloch, and the general delegate, Thierry Frémaux, stressed in a press release that the 74-year-old actress was part of “our collective imagination, our common cinephilia”.
Meryl Streep said she was “extremely honored” to receive this “prestigious award”.
“Standing in the shadow of those who have already been honored is both humbling and thrilling,” she added.
Meryl Streep has accumulated several awards during her career, which spans almost 50 years. She also holds the record for the number of Oscar nominations, with a total of 21.
In her debut, she received her first Oscar in 1980 for her supporting role in the film Kramer vs. Kramer (Kramer vs. Kramer). She returned to the academy stage three years later to collect the best actress prize for Sophie’s choice (Sophie’s Choice).
She went on to win a third Oscar for Iron Woman (Iron Lady) in 2012, a film in which she played former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 14 to 25.