Barbra Streisand made a rare appearance at the Cannes Film Festival to accept an honorary Palme d’Or after being forced to miss the ceremony in person because of a knee injury.
The 84-year-old was among three entertainment figures honoured at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival alongside filmmaker Peter Jackson and actor John Travolta, with the tribute coming after Oscar-winning actor, singer and director Barbra had earlier confirmed she would be unable to attend the event physically on medical advice.
She delivered a video message during Saturday’s (May 23) ceremony, and her appearance came months after she returned to the Oscars stage for a widely discussed tribute to late co-star Robert Redford by performing The Way We Were in one of her most high-profile live performances in recent years.
Ahead of Barbra’s acceptance speech, actress Isabelle Huppert praised the star’s long-standing support for LGBTQ+ communities while celebrating her achievements across film, music and directing.
In her address, Barbra recalled discovering foreign cinema while growing up and visiting a theatre near her school that screened black-and-white classics from some of Europe and Asia’s most acclaimed directors.
She said: “I was mesmerised by those images on the screen.
“They were so powerful that they’re still in my head. I wanted to be an actress and live in those other more interesting worlds.”
Barbra explained filmmakers including François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Akira Kurosawa profoundly shaped her artistic ambitions and later inspired her directing career.
The actress also revisited the long struggle to bring Yentl to the screen after studios repeatedly rejected the project.
She said: “I was a woman, which was an obstacle to people.
“Even worse, was an actress who wanted to direct. So every studio turned me down. And for 15 years the project was on the verge of collapsing. But I had to make this movie.”
Barbra added: “In this crazy volatile world that seems more fractured every day, it’s reassuring to see the compelling movies at this festival, by artists from many countries.
“Film has that magical ability to unite us, opening our hearts and mind. I’m so proud to be part of this community, so merci beaucoup and vive le cinema!”
Barbra had previously issued a statement confirming she would miss the ceremony in person while recovering from a knee injury.
She said: “On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year.
“But I am deeply honoured to receive the honorary Palme d’Or and had so been looking forward to celebrating the remarkable films of the 79th edition.”
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“I was also very much looking forward to spending time with colleagues whom I so admire — and, of course, returning to France, a place I have always loved.
“While I regret that I can’t be there in person, I want to extend my warmest congratulations to all of the filmmakers from around the world whose extraordinary talent and creative vision are being celebrated this year.
“My heartfelt thanks to the Festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema.”
Barbra remains closely associated with classic films including Funny Girl, The Way We Were and Yentl, the latter marking her landmark directorial debut after years of resistance from Hollywood studios.
This year’s festival concluded with Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, winning the Palme d’Or for Fjord, his English-language debut starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan.
Cristian became only the 10th filmmaker to win the festival’s top prize twice, joining directors including Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Haneke, Ken Loach and Ruben Östlund.
Elsewhere, Andrey Zvyagintsev won the Grand Prix for Minotaur, while The Dreamed Adventure received the Jury Prize, while acting prizes went to Valentin Campagne, Emmanuel Macchia, Virginie Emir and Tao Okamoto.
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