Denzel Washington Honored with Palme d’Or at Cannes

Denzel Washington was surprised with an honorary Palme d’Or award at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Monday. 

The legendary actor, 70, was attending the premiere of his latest film Highest 2 Lowest during the event in which director Spike Lee presented him with the award. 

Cannes changed some of its scheduling to accommodate Denzel’s trip, which came amid his lone off-day while performing Othello in New York. 

Handing the award over to Denzel, Spike said: ‘This is my brother, right here.’

‘This is a total surprise for me!’ the actor replied. 

The festival usually gives out one or two honorary Palmes each edition with Robert De Niro receiving one on the festival’s opening night.

Denzel Washington was surprised with an honorary Palme d’Or award at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Monday (pictured right with Spike Lee, left)

The legendary actor, 70, attended the premiere of his latest film Highest 2 Lowest during the event in which director Spike Lee presented him with the award

Roberts’s award was announced in advance, but surprise prizes aren’t unheard of: In 2022, Tom Cruise was presented with a surprise honorary Palme d’Or just before the screening of Top Gun: Maverick.

While the festival’s photo calls usually happen the day after a film’s premiere, Cannes hosted one for Highest 2 Lowest earlier so that Denzel could attend. 

The actor, who posed for photos with Spike and co-star A$AP Rocky, showed no signs of jet lag and was expected to fly back to New York immediately after the screening.

When the festival first announced its lineup last month, Highest 2 Lowest wasn’t included. 

But within hours, however, Spike himself announced the film was heading to Cannes and representatives for the festival said they had been waiting for confirmation that Denzel would attend the red carpet.

Highest 2 Lowest, is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low, and will be released in theatres by A24 August 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ September 5.

This year’s Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump´s vow to enact tariffs on international films.

Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end. 

Handing the award over to Denzel, Spike said: ‘This is my brother, right here.’ ‘This is a total surprise for me!’ the actor replied

Cannes changed some of its scheduling to accommodate Denzel’s trip, which came amid his lone off-day while performing Othello in New York

The actor, who posed for photos with Spike and co-star A$AP Rocky , showed no signs of jet lag and was expected to fly back to New York immediately after the screening

Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories.

‘You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,’ says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who´s returning to Cannes with ‘The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil´s dictatorship. 

‘You’ve got to really prepare for the whole experience because it´s quite intense – not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.’

Trump sent shock waves through Hollywood and the international film community when he announced on May 4 that all movies ‘produced in Foreign Lands’ will face 100 percent tariffs.

The White House has said no final decisions have been made. Options being explored include federal incentives for U.S.-based productions, rather than tariffs. But the announcement was a reminder of how international tensions can destabilize even the oldest cultural institutions.

The Cannes Film Festival originally emerged in the World War II years, when the rise of fascism in Italy led to the founding of an alternative to the then-government controlled Venice Film Festival. 

In the time since, Cannes’ resolute commitment to cinema has made it a beacon to filmmakers. Countless directors have come to make their name.

This year is no different, though some of the first-time filmmakers at Cannes are already particularly well-known.