Robert De Niro receives honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival 2025

Robert De Niro was awarded the Honorary Palme d'Or by Leonardo DiCaprio at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The opening ceremony was filled with emotion as prominent films were screened.

The 78th Cannes Film Festival began when Robert De Niro was awarded the honorary Palme d'Or by Leonardo DiCaprio at the opening ceremony in France in the early morning of May 14.

DiCaprio appeared on stage to rapturous applause, emphasizing De Niro's role in his early career.

Leonardo DiCaprio presents the honorary Palme d'Or to Robert De Niro

PHOTO: AFP

"Growing up in Los Angeles, every young actor I knew watched De Niro's work. We studied him, trying to understand how he immersed himself so completely in his characters. De Niro is not just a great actor," said the Oscar-winning actor.

DiCaprio recalls his first big-screen break when he starred opposite De Niro in This Boy's Life .

A compilation of clips from De Niro's films was shown, starting with the explosion from Casino , followed by Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver .

This honor comes nearly 50 years after De Niro first attended the Cannes Film Festival with the films 1900 and Taxi Driver - winning the Palme d'Or.

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The opening ceremony preceded the world premiere of Amélie Bonnin's French musical Leave One Day , which made history as the first film to open the festival.

President of the jury Juliette Binoche

PHOTO: AFP

La Chanson Française's mix of drama, pop songs and classics, which tells the story of a talented chef who returns to his small town to help out at his family's roadside restaurant after his father suffers a heart attack, was well received by French audiences on opening night.

On a more somber note, the ceremony was dedicated to Émilie Dequenne, the Belgian actress best known for her Palme d'Or-winning debut in Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's Rosetta in 1999. Émilie Dequenne died in March 2025 at the age of 43 after battling a rare form of adrenal cancer.

Quentin Tarantino announces opening of Cannes Film Festival 2025

PHOTO: AFP

The opening ceremony also featured an emotional speech by Jury President Juliette Binoche, honoring artist and photojournalist Fatima Hassouna from Gaza.

The honor of declaring the opening of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival belongs to Quentin Tarantino, an artist who attended the event as a guest of honor: "Tonight and for the next 11 days, we show our strength and commitment by celebrating art in this glorious festival. Liberty, equality, fraternity," he said.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/robert-de-niro-nhan-canh-co-vang-danh-du-tai-lien-hoan-phim-cannes-2025-185250514075358219.htm