Jodie Foster is set to receive an honorary award at this year’s Cannes film festival.

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Foster will be the festival’s guest of honour at the event’s opening ceremony on July 6 where she will receive an honorary Palme d’Or.

Speaking about the award, Foster said: “Cannes is a festival to which I owe so much, it has completely changed my life. Although I had directed before, my first time on the Croisette was a defining moment for me.

“Showcasing one of my films here has always been a dream … Cannes is a festival by auteur film-makers who honour artists.”

The festival’s president Pierre Lescure said: “Jodie Foster has provided us with an amazing gift by coming to celebrate the return of the festival on the Croisette.”

While Cannes general delegate Thierry Frémaux added: “Jodie never ceases to reinvent herself. She questions with her piercing gaze, learns from others, and is willing to step back from her beliefs in order to forge new morals.”

The festival’s line-up was announced today after a series of delays caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Foster reunited with her Silence of the Lambs co-star Anthony Hopkins back in January, for the film’s 30th anniversary.

The pair, who took part in Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, sat down for an hour over video chat to talk about their new projects – Foster for her work on The Mauritanian, and Hopkins on his Oscar-winning lead in The Father.

Foster described hearing Hopkins first read his part in Silence of the Lambs, saying: “I felt a chill come over the room. In a way, it was like we were almost too scared to talk to each other after that.”