Barbra Streisand is set to receive an honorary Palme d’Or during the event’s 79th Cannes Film Festival. The honor recognizes the EGOT-winning performer’s extraordinary impact across film, music, and the broader arts over a career that has spanned more than six decades.
The honorary Palme d’Or is one of the festival’s highest distinctions. Unlike the competitive Palme d’Or awarded to a film in the main competition, this honor celebrates lifetime achievements and cultural influence within the world of cinema. Over the years, the recognition has been presented to renowned figures including Agnès Varda, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro.
For Streisand, the award also marks a historic milestone: it will be her first official appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. The honor will be presented during the closing ceremony on May 23.
Streisand’s film career began with a breakthrough performance in the 1968 musical drama Funny Girl, a role that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in a rare tie with Katharine Hepburn.
Throughout the following decades, Streisand expanded her influence beyond acting. She starred in celebrated productions such as The Way We Were and the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born, while later stepping behind the camera to direct ambitious projects including Yentl and The Prince of Tides. Her work as a filmmaker helped open doors for women in Hollywood at a time when female directors were still a rarity in major studio productions.
Beyond cinema, Streisand’s artistic legacy extends deeply into music and television. As one of the few performers to achieve EGOT status—winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony—she has remained a defining cultural figure whose influence crosses multiple generations and creative disciplines.
The honorary Palme d’Or adds another prestigious accolade to an already remarkable list of distinctions. Streisand has previously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kennedy Center Honors, the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, among many others.
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