Awards

Denzel Washington honored with surprise Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

In a surprise tribute at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Denzel Washington was awarded the prestigious Honorary Palme d'Or.

May 20, 2025 09:51AM EDT

**© (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM)**Denzel Washington attends a SiriusXM Town Hall with the cast of "Gladiator II" with host Mike Muse at SiriusXM Studios on November 21, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Denzel Washington was awarded an Honorary Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The surprise recognition took place on May 19, 2025, during the world premiere of Highest 2 Lowest, a modern adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low, directed by Spike Lee. Washington, who stars in the film alongside A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey Wright, was visibly emotional as he received the prestigious honor from Lee, his longtime collaborator.

IMDb / Andreas Rentz/Getty Images – © 2025 Getty Images

The Honorary Palme d’Or is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of cinema. Washington’s career, spanning over four decades, has been marked by a diverse range of roles, from portraying Malcolm X to his award-winning performances in Training Day and Glory.

Highest 2 Lowest is set to be released in U.S. theaters on August 22, 2025, followed by streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 5, 2025. The film’s premiere at Cannes and Washington’s honorary award have generated significant anticipation for its upcoming release.

Carolina O'donnell

Carolina is a bilingual entertainment and sports writer fluent in English and Spanish. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales (UCES) in Buenos Aires and has a solid background in media and public affairs. In 2020, she won first place in journalistic feature writing at the EXPOCOM-FADECCOS competition, which brings together student work from universities across Argentina. She also completed a year-and-a-half internship in the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, where she worked closely with journalists and media operations. Carolina specializes in entertainment writing, with a focus on celebrity news, as well as romantic and drama films.