Barbara Streisand announced on Sunday that she will not attend the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival later this week where she was due to receive the honorary Palme d’Or, after suffering a knee injury.The festival organizers said that they would continue to honor the actress and singer despite her absence, according to a press release bearing Streisand’s statement.
Barbra Streisand issues a statement regarding her absence from Cannes
“On the advice of my doctors, while I continue to recover from my knee injury, I am unfortunately unable to attend Cannes this year,” she said in the statement. “But I feel very proud to receive an honorary Palme d’Or and was looking forward to celebrating the great films of the 79th edition.”Streisand added: “I was very much looking forward to spending time with my colleagues, whom I greatly admire, and of course returning to France, a place I have always loved.” “My sincere thanks to the festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema.”
About the honorary Palme d’Or for Barbara Streisand
The occasion is set to celebrate the EGOT recipient’s debut in Cannes. “It is with a sense of pride and profound humility that I am honored to join the company of previous honorary Palme d’Or winners whose work has long inspired me,” she said in a statement.
In these difficult times, films have the power to open our hearts and minds to stories that reflect our shared humanity, and to perspectives that remind us of our fragility and resilience.
Cinema transcends borders and politics, affirming the power of imagination to shape a more compassionate world.”A Cannes press release said, in part, “Barbra Streisand has reached the pinnacle of the entertainment industry like no one before her.
But this astonishing record pales in comparison to her influence on popular culture in the second half of the twentieth century.
Previous winners of the Honorary Palme d’Or
During its opening ceremony, the Cannes Film Festival awarded Peter Jackson an honorary Palme d’Or.John Travolta also surprised Friday with one before the premiere of his directorial debut, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” at Cannes.Previous Palme of Honor recipients include Peter Jackson, Agnès Varda, Marco Bellocchio, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise.
