Hollywood actress Meryl Streep to receive honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes

Meryl Streep will receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on 14 May, organisers have announced. 

Streep, 74, is one of the most feted actors in Hollywood history, with a record 21 Oscar nominations and three wins.

Her career has run the gamut of modern classics, from dramas such as Out of Africa and Kramer vs Kramer to family favourites like The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia!.

Surprisingly, she has been at Cannes only once before – though she did win best actress that year – in 1989's Evil Angels (A Cry in the Dark).

Other big names in cinema to have been given the honorary award include Catherine Deneuve, Jane Fonda, Agnès Varda, Forest Whitaker and Jodie Foster.

"I am immeasurably honored to receive the news of this prestigious award. To win a prize at Cannes, for the international community of artists has always represented the highest achievement in the art of filmmaking," she said in a statement.

"To stand in the shadow of those who have previously been honored is humbling and thrilling in equal part."

Three honorary Palme d'Or

Streep's career took off on the big screen in 1978 with The Deer Hunter, starring Robert De Niro. In Michael Cimino's film, Streep wrote all her lines to give her character nuance and depth. This marked her first Oscar nomination.

Throughout her career, Streep has never shied away from publicly denouncing the precarious position of women in the film industry.

Aware of the issues surrounding the representation of women in Hollywood movies, and keen to embody all their facets in all their complexity and fragility, Streep has strived to play a wide variety of roles in different genres of films. 

"Because she has spanned almost 50 years of cinema and embodied countless masterpieces, Meryl Streep is part of our collective imagination, our shared love of cinema," the festival organisers said in the statement.

Streep joins a host of Hollywood veterans appearing at this year's festival, including Star Wars creator George Lucas, who is also receiving a lifetime achievement award at the closing ceremony.

Also receiving an honorary Palme d'Or are legendary Japanese animators Studio Ghibli – the first time it will be awarded to a group rather than an individual.

This year's eight-member main competition jury is headed up by American actress and director Greta Gerwig.

They will be tasked with selecting the winner of the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, from a selection of 22 films that include the return of Francis Ford Coppola with his long-awaited epic, Megalopolis.

The Cannes Film Festival runs 14 - 25 May.

(with AFP)