Forest Whitaker receives the Palme d'honneur in gold at the Cannes Film Festival

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Actor Whitaker (2021 in New York): Looking for a different relationship with humanity

Photo: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images

The American Oscar winner Forest Whitaker receives the Palme d'honneur at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

This honors a brilliant career, a unique personality and a discreet but strong commitment to important issues of our time, the festival management announced on Thursday.

The 60-year-old Whitaker is an "artist with immense charisma and a radiant presence," said the director of the film festival, Thierry Frémaux, on Thursday.

Whitaker said it was "a privilege to return to this beautiful festival to exhibit my work."

Whitaker, who won the 2007 Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in The Last King of Scotland (read an interview with him about the role of Ugandan tyrant Idi Amin here), is a regular at Cannes.

In 1988 he was honored with the award for best actor on the Croisette for his portrayal of the jazz musician Charlie Parker in Clint Eastwood's "Bird".

Whitaker was quoted as saying that he came to Cannes for the first time 34 years ago, which changed his life.

There he received confirmation that his decision to seek a different relationship to humanity through the cinema was the right one.

Whitaker has acted in over 80 films.

The 75th Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 17th to 28th in Cannes on France's Mediterranean coast.

Last year, US actress Jodie Foster received the palm of honour.

feb/dpa/AFP