Michael Douglas Masterclass in Cannes After Receiving Honorary Palme D’Or at the Opening of the 76th Cannes Film Festival

Michael Douglas has received the Palme d’or d’honneur at the 76th Festival de Cannes, in recognition of his brilliant career as well as his engagement for cinema.

“It is always a breath of fresh air to be at Cannes, which has long provided a wonderful platform for bold creators, artistic audacities and excellence in storytelling. From my first time here in 1979 for The China Syndrome to my most recent premiere for Behind the Candelabra in 2013, the Festival has always reminded me that magic of cinema is not just in what we see onscreen but in its ability to impact people all around the world. After more than 50 years in the business, it’s an honor to return to the Croisette to open the Festival and embrace our shared global language of film.”

Michael Douglas
Honorary Palme d’or of the 76th Festival de Cannes

Michael Douglas has worked as an actor with the greatest in the industry, such as Robert Zemeckis in Romancing the Stone (1984), Ridley Scott in Black Rain (1989) or Barry Levinson in Disclosure (1994). With Oliver Stone, he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1987 for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko, a greedy New York broker in Wall Street. The sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was screened Out of Competition at the 63rd Festival de Cannes. In addition to his valuable contribution to cinema, Michael Douglas advocates multiple causes. In his capacity as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, he has been committed to nuclear disarmament across the world since 1998 and he has also been a longstanding advocate of gun control in the United States.

Michael Douglas at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival 76 © Rune Hellestad

He A-lister has graced the Bunuel screening room with his presence as a marathon-length Masterclass to the excitement of the grateful audience of the Cannes Film Festival.

He started by thanking the organisers of the Cannes Film Festival and the Secretary General of Cannes Thierry Fremaux for the honour. “Film is the only thing that brings us all together,” he noted and we can’t agree more.

At the masterclass, Michael Douglas spoke at length and candidly about his illustrious career. You can listen full Masterclass with Michael Douglas on our Soundcloud.