Peter Jackson is getting a special award this year.

The 64-year-old The Lord of the Rings director will receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

The organization confirmed the news Thursday (March 5).

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The award will be given to the director “in recognition of a body of work that blends Hollywood blockbusters and films d’auteur with extraordinary artistic vision and technological audacity,” per the Cannes official release.

“To be honoured with an Honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes is one of the greatest privileges of my career,” Peter Jackson said in a statement.

“Cannes has been a meaningful part of my filmmaking journey. In 1988, I attended the Festival Marketplace with my first movie, Bad Taste, then in 2001 we screened a preview sequence from The Fellowship of the Ring, both of which were important milestones in my career. This festival has always celebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognised among the filmmakers and the artists whose work continues to inspire me.”

The 79th Festival de Cannes will take place from Tuesday, May 12 to Saturday, May 23.

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