France, March 6 -- After Clint Eastwood, Agnes Varda, Meryl Streep, George Lucas, and last year Robert De Niro, it's Peter Jackson's turn to be celebrated by France's biggest film festival.

"Cannes has been a meaningful part of my filmmaking journey," Jackson said, recalling that he showed his first movie, Bad Taste, at the festival in 1987.

"This festival has always celebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I'm incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognised among the filmmakers and the artists whose work continues to inspire me," the director told organisers.

Also a producer and screenwriter, Jackson won critical acclaim with Heavenly Creatures in 1994 - based on a true murder case and starrin...