He might be well into enjoying his time as an elder statesman of cinema and not worrying about making films these days, but George Lucas is heading to this year's Cannes Film Festival to receive an honorary Palme d’Or.
The award will be given during the closing ceremony festivities on 25 May for the 77th edition of the venerable festival. So the man who created Star Wars and helped usher Indiana Jones to screens is now going to be the owner of one of cinema's big awards
"The Festival de Cannes has always held a special place in my heart," Lucas said in a statement. "I was surprised and elated when my first film, THX-1138, was selected to be shown in a new program for first time directors called the Directors’ Fortnight. Since then, I have returned to the festival on many occasions in a variety of capacities as a writer, director and producer. I am truly honored by this special recognition which means a great deal to me."
This year's festival, which runs between 14 May and 25 May, has a jury headed by Barbie's Greta Gerwig, and will feature the premiere of George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Kevin Costner's new Western, Horizon, An American Saga. And news has just arrived that Francis Ford Coppola, who has been looking for a distribution deal for his giant new epic Megalopolis, scored a gala premiere slot on the Palais on Friday 17 May.