Cannes 2025: Robert De Niro Honored with Prestigious Palme d'Or at Opening Ceremony

Each year at about this season, the globe’s top-ranked actors, renowned directors, celebrated scriptwriters, and film enthusiasts gather in the southern French seaside city of Cannes for what is considered one of the entertainment industry’s premier yearly gatherings.

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival commenced on Tuesday. This event will span over the coming 12 days, featuring significant debuts such as Tom Cruise’s 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning', Spike Lee’s 'Highest 2 Lowest', and Ari Aster’s 'Eddington'.

Many big names from Hollywood attended the event. Notable celebrities like Robert De Niro, Quentin Tarantino, and Juliette Binoche walked the red carpet for the opening ceremony.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who was present at the event, chose not to walk the red carpet but received a standing ovation when he presented Robert De Niro with an honorary Palme d'Or. They have appeared together onscreen thrice since their first collaboration in 1993.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro initially joined forces under director Michael Caton-Jones' 'This Boy’s Life.' Their second collaboration came several years afterward with their roles in Jerry Zaks’ "Marvin's Room" released in 1996. Over a span exceeding twenty-five years, they did not act alongside each other again until 2023 when both starred in Martin Scorsese’s film ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.

De Niro: The quintessential actor

DiCaprio lauded De Niro as "the quintessential actor," praising the 81-year-old -- a vocal opponent of former U.S. President Donald Trump -- for his contributions to "championing our democratic values."

As the crowd clapped enthusiastically for De Niro, DiCaprio handed him the Palme d’Or, prompting De Niro to respond with “Thanks, kiddo.”

Following his expression of gratitude towards the festival, De Niro promptly shifted the conversation to Trump, who has recently announced his intention to impose a tariff on films produced outside the United States.

"Art represents reality. It celebrates variety. That’s precisely why art poses a challenge to dictators and fascists everywhere," stated De Niro.

America’s unsophisticated president has taken charge as the leader of one of America’s leading cultural organizations. He has reduced financial backing for the arts, humanities, and education. Now, he has imposed a 100% tax on movies produced outside the United States. The value of global connection cannot be measured in dollars.

A busy opening day

The opening event for Amélie Bonnin’s French romantic movie ‘Leave One Day’ featured a grand appearance by Tarantino, who dramatically kicked off the festival with an elaborate speech before exiting the stage in a flamboyant fashion.

On Wednesday, Tarantino plans to honor Western filmmaker George Sherman. Moreover, Sean Baker, who directed 'Anora' and won last year’s Palme d’Or, was also in attendance.

The ceremony concluded a hectic day at Cannes, which featured a tribute of three films to Ukraine and the premiere of a restored version of Charlie Chaplin's “The Gold Rush” in celebration of its centenary.

Cannes beginning coincided with the announcement of Gérard Depardieu's – one of France’s most well-known actors – conviction for sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021.

In a significant #MeToo case in France, Depardieu was handed an 18-month suspended jail term. The 76-year-old actor has long been a regular presence at the Cannes Film Festival.

The panel established for this year's festival, led by Juliette Binoche will determine the winner of the Palme d'Or.

The group also includes Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong, Hong Sang-soo, Alba Rohrwacher, Dieudo Hamadi, Payal Kapadia, Leïla Slimani, and Carlos Reygadas.

Twenty-two movies are vying for the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes, which will be awarded on Saturday, May 24. The contenders consist of Wes Anderson’s 'The Phoenician Scheme,' Richard Linklater’s 'New Wave,' Lynne Ramsay’s 'Fade Away,' Joachim Trier’s 'Emotional Capital,' Kelly Reichardt’s 'The Archplotter,' Oliver Hermanus’ 'Soundtrack Legacy,' Julia Ducournau’s 'First Alpha,' and Jafar Panahi’s 'An Easy Mishap.'