Barbra Streisand, 84, makes rare appearance in video message to accept honorary Cannes Palm d’Or after being forced to miss ceremony due to knee injury

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Barbra Streisand unexpectedly appeared at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday to receive an award, after an injury previously prevented her from attending the official ceremony.

Oh my gosh, you guys, did you HEAR about Joanne?! She’s incredible! At Cannes, they gave her a special Palm d’Or – an honorary one, because she deserves everything! She couldn’t be there in person, but she sent a video message, and honestly, just hearing her thank them made my whole week. She’s a legend, and this just proves it!

Before the event, actress Isabelle Huppert commended Barbra Streisand for her long-time advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, also mentioning some of her iconic roles in films like Funny Girl and The Way We Were.

Barbra announced earlier this week that she won’t be able to attend the ceremony. Her doctor advised her to rest due to an ongoing knee injury.

The Academy Award-winning actress recounted how a local cinema near her school sparked her passion for international films, playing timeless black and white movies featuring directors like François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, and Akira Kurosawa.

She said: ‘I was mesmerised by those images on the screen.

I’ve never forgotten how captivating they were – those performances just stuck with me. Seeing them ignited a real desire in me to become an actress myself, to lose myself in different, more vibrant worlds and bring stories to life.

Barbra explained that these movies continued to inspire her as she became an actress, and they ultimately led to her interest in directing, which she first explored with her 1981 film, Yentl.

The actress admitted the film was difficult to bring to life, and explained that her dedication to it was likely a feeling many filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival could relate to.

She said: ‘I was a woman, which was an obstacle to people.

To make matters even more difficult, an actress insisted on directing the film, which meant every studio rejected the project. It nearly fell apart over the next fifteen years, but I was determined to bring it to life.

Honestly, with everything going on in the world these days – it feels like it’s falling apart, you know? – it’s such a relief to lose myself in these incredible films at the festival. Seeing stories from all over the globe… it just reminds me why I love movies so much. It’s like a little pocket of hope and connection when everything else feels so chaotic.

Movies have a wonderful way of bringing people together, touching our hearts and expanding our perspectives. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this film community, so thank you very much, and long live cinema!

Barbra announced earlier this week that an injury will prevent her from attending the Cannes ceremony in person.

Due to ongoing recovery from a knee injury, and following medical advice, I won’t be able to attend the Cannes Film Festival this year, unfortunately.

I’m truly honored to receive the honorary Palme d’Or and was really excited to celebrate the wonderful films at this year’s festival.

I was really excited to reconnect with colleagues I greatly respect, and I was also thrilled about going back to France, a country I’ve always cherished.

I’m so sorry I can’t attend in person, but I want to send my heartfelt congratulations to all the talented filmmakers being honored this year. Their creativity and skill are truly remarkable.

I’m deeply grateful to the Festival and everyone who continues to believe in and promote the power of film.

Oh my gosh, you guys, can you BELIEVE it? Peter Jackson – the Peter Jackson, the absolute genius behind Lord of the Rings – and John Travolta were getting special awards at Cannes! They were giving them honorary Palme d’Or awards, which is, like, a HUGE deal. I was practically screaming when I heard! It’s so amazing to see them both get the recognition they deserve!

Barbra Streisand recently returned to the stage for a special performance at the Oscars in March. She honored her friend and co-star Robert Redford by singing their famous song from the movie The Way We Were.

Oh my gosh, you guys, it was incredible! The Cannes Film Festival just wrapped up, and she was there! And Cristian Mungiu? He won his second Palme d’Or! I’m seriously losing it, it was such a perfect moment for him and honestly, for all of us fans!

The Romanian director, previously acclaimed for his 2007 Cannes Film Festival win with ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,’ has again received the festival’s highest honor. This time, it was for ‘Fjord,’ a powerful drama about child abuse that also marked his first film in English.

As a huge fan of cinema, I was thrilled to see Cristian join an incredibly exclusive club! He’s only the tenth director ever to win the Palme d’Or twice. It’s amazing company to be in – following legends like Alf Sjoberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Bille August, Emir Kusturica, Shohei Imamura, the Dardenne brothers, Michael Haneke, Ken Loach, and Ruben Ostlund. What a testament to his talent!

The film Fjord starred Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan as a Romanian couple who moved to Norway and were then accused of mistreating their child.

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s satirical film Minotaur, which critiques corruption in modern Russia, won second place, earning the Grand Prix. The Dreamed Adventure finished third, receiving the Jury Award.

Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, for their film The Black Ball, shared the director’s award with Pawel Pawlikowski, who was recognized for Fatherland.

Meanwhile, the actor and actress awards were divided between pairs of performers from two films.

Valentin Campagne and Emmanuel Macchia were named Best Actors for their work in ‘Coward,’ a moving drama about queer individuals during World War I. Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto both received Best Actress awards for their roles in ‘All of a Sudden,’ a film centered around caregiving.

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2026-05-24 11:53