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'Lord of the Rings' Director Honoured as Cannes Festival Opens on Subdued Note
Elijah Wood presented the award as Jackson said Cannes helped reshape early doubts about The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
On Tuesday, Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d'Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, presented by Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
During the 2001 festival, Jackson unveiled 26 minutes of footage from The Fellowship of the Ring, which silenced skepticism during the disastrous AOL-Time Warner merger and helped save the franchise.
Reflecting on their collaboration, Wood recalled meeting Jackson at 18, stating, "My life had just been divided into before and after." The actor thanked the filmmaker for launching his journey as Frodo Baggins.
Jane Fonda and Gong Li officially opened the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, welcoming over 40,000 film professionals from 140 countries gathered to witness international cinema talent.
Competition screenings begin Wednesday with 22 films vying for the Palme d'Or through May 23, including works by directors Koji Fukada and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet.