The 78th Cannes Film Festival will honor Robert De Niro with an honorary Palme d’Or during its opening night ceremony.

In addition to receiving the award, De Niro is slated to conduct a masterclass on stage at the Debussy Theatre on May 14 for attendees.

Over the years, De Niro has been a familiar face at Cannes. His most recent appearance at the festival was in 2023 when he introduced Martin Scorsese's ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ He also served as the president of the Cannes jury in 2011.

A towering figure in modern cinema, De Niro’s history with the festival is notable. His breakthrough at Cannes came in 1976, starring in two films in competition: Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘1900’ and Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver,’ the latter winning the Palme d’Or. He inaugurated the 1982 festival with Scorsese’s ‘The King of Comedy,’ and in 1983, he presented ‘Once Upon a Time in America,’ the final film by Sergio Leone. He returned with Roland Joffé’s ‘The Mission,’ which also claimed the Palme.

Recently, De Niro appeared in Netflix’s political thriller ‘Zero Day’ and Barry Levinson’s ‘Alto Knights.’

“I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes,” De Niro said in a statement provided by the Cannes festival. “Especially now, when there’s so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It’s like coming home.”

The Cannes Film Festival this year is scheduled from May 13 to May 24.

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