John Travolta Honoured With Palme d’Or At Cannes 2026: This Is Beyond Oscar

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9Iohn Travolta recently attended the Cannes 2026 for the premiere of his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach. Ahead of that, the actor received a pleasant surprise. John was honoured with the Palme d’Or at the ongoing film festival. It is the Cannes equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. The actor was overwhelmed when he was presented with his honour. While accepting it, John got emotional and said that this was the last thing he expected at the film festival. The actor went on to say that 'this is beyond Oscar'. He called it a 'humbling moment' and thanked Cannes director Thierry Fremaux.

John Travolta on winning Palme d’Or

During his acceptance speech, John recalled meeting Cannes director Thierry in November 2025. At that time, the actor had no expectation that his film Propeller One-Way Night Coach would be accepted. Later, John 'cried like a baby' when Thierry told him that the film created history as it was the first movie to be accepted early.

And this was because John felt Thierry is the most discerning in the film industry. "I was just happy to be here! I never expected this. Thank you so much," he added. For the unversed, Propeller One-Way Night Coach is based on John's 1997 children's book of the same name.The film follows the story of Jeff and his mother, who set off for cross-country flight to Hollywood. That said, the star cast includes John's daughter Ella Bleu Travolta, Clark Shotwell and Kelly Eviston-Quinnett.

John Travolta on Propeller One-Way Night Coach

After his film was screened at Cannes, John revealed that his older sister Ellen was like the lead character in his film. He further said that role is a mixture of his sister and mother. Wondering why? The actor said, "Because they both influenced me so deeply, and they were responsible for all my hopes and dreams, and they watched me make them come true."

John added that this was just a taste of his origins and what it was like to be him when he was young. He further hoped that the audiences at Cannes 2026 enjoyed his project. Meanwhile, the actor's movie will be released worldwide on Apple TV on May 29. While John has directed the project, it has been bankrolled by JTP Productions and Kids at Play.Are you excited about watching Propeller One-Way Night Coach? Tweet @TimesNow and share your thoughts on X.