John Travolta wins the honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes and presents his first film as a director

The first big moment of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival had its own name: John Travolta. The actor made his directorial debut and He also received the honorary Palme d’Or from the competition’s normal delegate, Thierry Frémaux.

“You said it would be a special night, but I didn’t think that’s what you meant. It’s a touching moment. This goes beyond an Oscar.”

The recognition, granted before the screening of his film “Propeller One-Procedure Night Coach”represents the greatest honor of his career and confirms his mark on the history of cinema.

Frémaux justified the distinction by describing Travolta as “one of the greatest artists of the 20th and 21st centuries”. And the actor’s relationship with Cannes goes back a long way: “Pulp Fiction”, the film directed by Quentin Tarantino in which he starred, premiered in the competition and won the Palme d’Or; “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever” were screened on the beaches of Cannes; while “Main Colors” (1998) did so out of competition and “She’s So Comely” (1997) competed in the official phase.

The first film accepted for Cannes 2026

Frémaux revealed that “Propeller” was the first feature film selected for the 79th edition of the contest. “When John came to see us in the fall, he was very humble and shy about the idea of ​​screening the film as an official selection,” he explained.

The actor confessed that when he found out that his debut film would be the first film confirmed for Cannes 2026, he could not contain his excitement: “When you told me this would be the first film accepted, I cried.”

Before the screening, Travolta defined the film as “the most innermost thing I have ever done.”

What is the movie about?

“Propeller One-Procedure Night Coach,” scheduled for release on May 29 on Apple, is based on Travolta’s book of the same name and tells the story of Jeff, a young aviation enthusiast, and his mother, who embark on a cross-country flight to Hollywood.

The cast of “Propeller” includes Ella Bleu Travolta, the actor’s daughter, in the role of a stewardess, along with Clark Shotwell, Kelly Eviston-Quinnett and Olga Hoffmann. After the screening, Travolta personally thanked Prince Albert II of Monaco for attending the premiere.

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