‘Lord of the Rings’ director honoured as Cannes festival opens on subdued note

Director Peter Jackson, recipient of the honorary Palme d'Or, poses for photographers during the opening ceremony of the 79th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

CANNES, France - The Cannes Film Festival officially started on Tuesday night with a more muted tone than in years past, with fewer A-list Hollywood celebrities on the red carpet and politics largely absent from the opening ceremony speeches.

Elijah Wood walked the carpet ahead of presenting “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson with an honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement. Others on the carpet included model Heidi Klum, legendary actor Joan Collins and Indian film star Alia Bhatt.

This year’s jury, including Oscar-nominated actors Demi Moore and Stellan Skarsgard, also walked the red carpet into the plush 2,300-seat Grand Lumiere Theatre ahead of the screening of opening film “The Electric Kiss,” a French-language romantic comedy.

Jackson, 64, recalled how he brought a clip from his first “Rings” film to Cannes 25 years ago in a bid to win over an audience skeptical of his decision to shoot the entire trilogy simultaneously. “It was a huge gamble,” he recalled.

The bet paid off, with the critically and commercially successful series winning 17 Oscars and making nearly $3 billion in revenue.

Wood recalled that the day he heard that he got the lead role of Frodo would divide his life into a before and after.

“I’m far from the only person whose life has been changed by Peter Jackson,” he added.

Wood did not discuss politics. Last year’s recipient, Hollywood icon Robert De Niro, used his speech to call for protests against U.S. President Donald Trump.

The only political nod came from Jane Fonda, the longtime U.S. actor and activist, who appeared on stage with Gong Li, one of China’s best actors, to declare the festival officially open.

“Jane comes from the West, I come from the East. Tonight we stand together here. This is the magic of Cannes,” said Gong.

Fonda used her stage time to celebrate cinema as an act of resistance.

“I believe in the power of voices, voices on the screen, voices off the screen, and definitely voices on the street, especially now,” she said, to applause. “Let’s celebrate audacity, freedom and the fierce act of creation.”

Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by David Gregorio