Forest Whitaker was the proud recipient of one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry on Tuesday night – the honorary Palme d’Or.
The Academy Award-winning actor received the accolade from French journalist Pierre Lescure during the opening ceremony for the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival, held at Palais des Festivals.
Forest, 60, was decked out in a navy suit for his big night, complete with a crisp white shirt and navy tie.
Congratulations: Forest Whitaker was the proud recipient of the honorary Palme d’Or during the opening ceremony for the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night
The Palme d’Or is the highest prize awarded at the two-week annual event and was introduced in 1955 by the festival’s organising committee.
The award replaced the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film as the highest prize, which was in place from 1939 to 1954.
However The Palme d’Or was replaced again by the Grand Prix, before being reintroduced in 1975.
Smart: The Academy Award-winning actor, 60, was decked out in a navy suit for his big night, complete with a crisp white shirt and navy tie
Proud: Forest received the accolade from French journalist Pierre Lescure during the opening ceremony for the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival, held at Palais des Festivals
Good going! The Palme d’Or is the highest prize awarded at the two-week annual event and was introduced in 1955 by the festival’s organising committee
Shaking hands: The award replaced the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film as the highest prize, which was in place from 1939 to 1954
Zombie comedy film Final Cut (Coupez) was the opening night’s screening.
The feature is a remake of the 2017 Japanese film One Cut of the Dead.
The film centres on a crew remaking the film depicted in the original film.
Award-winning: Zombie comedy film Final Cut (Coupez) was the opening night’s screening
Its director Michel Hazanavicius said it was ‘a joyous celebration of film people, which I hope will encourage others to get involved’.
Its premiere was initially slated for January 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival, but it was pulled after in-person screenings were cancelled in response to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
The two-week annual event will also see hotly-anticipated films Top Gun: Maverick and King of Rock ‘N Roll’ biopic ‘Elvis’ shown.
Opening night: Final Cut is a 2022 zombie comedy film – a remake of the 2017 Japanese film One Cut of the Dead
