The Cannes Film Festival will honor filmmaker Peter Jackson with an honorary Palme d’Or at the upcoming French festival.

Festival organizers announced Jackson as a recipient Thursday for what they hailed as “a body of work that blends Hollywood blockbusters and films d’auteur with extraordinary artistic vision and technological audacity.”

The “Lord of the Rings” director, in a statement, called the honor “one of the greatest privileges of my career.” Jackson recalled that he first came to Cannes in 1988 to sell his first movie, “Bad Taste.” In 2002, he returned to preview “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

“This festival has always celebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognized among the filmmakers and the artists whose work continues to inspire me,” Jackson said.

Last year, Cannes gave honorary Palme d’Or prizes to Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington. This year’s edition runs May 12-23.