Robert De Niro to receive honorary Palme d'Or at 2025 Cannes Film Festival; Read on

Robert De Niro will be honored with an honorary Palme d'Or for lifetime achievement at the 78th Cannes Film Festival's opening ceremony on May 13, 2025. A longtime Cannes presence, De Niro has starred in multiple Palme d'Or-winning films and will also host a masterclass during the festival

Actor and film producer Robert De Niro is set to receive an honorary Palme d'Or for lifetime achievement at the opening ceremony of the 78th Festival de Cannes, as announced by the festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The tribute to De Niro will take place on May 13, marking 14 years since he served as President of the Cannes jury in 2011. His association with the festival dates back decades. In 1976, he featured in two films selected for the official competition: Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900 and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, the latter winning the Palme d'Or. He later opened the festival in 1983 with Scorsese's The King of Comedy, followed by Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America the following year.

De Niro returned to Cannes in 1986 with Roland Joffé's The Mission, which became the second Palme d'Or-winning film in which he starred. More recently, in 2023, he made an appearance at the festival for Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Reflecting on his connection to Cannes, De Niro expressed his deep appreciation for the festival. He remarked that during a time when the world is increasingly divided, Cannes serves as a unifying space for storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends, making it feel like home, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Alongside receiving the Honorary Palme d'Or, De Niro will also host a masterclass for festival attendees on May 14 at the Debussy Theatre. The 78th Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to run from May 13 to May 24, 2025.