Barbra Streisand Reveals Why She's Been Forced to Pull Out of Closing Ceremony at Cannes Film Festival
Barbra Streisand Reveals Why She's Been Forced to Pull Out of Closing Ceremony at Cannes Film Festival
Escher WalcottMon, May 18, 2026 at 9:56 AM UTC
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Barbra Streisand
Credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic
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Barbra Streisand will not attend the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony on Saturday, May 23
In a statement, she expressed disappointment about missing the event due to a knee injury
Streisand is the third recipient of the Palme d'Or award this year, alongside John Travolta and Peter Jackson
Barbra Streisand will not be attending the closing ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival due to an injury.
On Sunday, May 17, the iconic singer-actress-filmmaker, 84, announced in a statement that she won't be able to accept her honorary Palme d'Or award in person at the ceremony on May 23.
“On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year," said Streisand. "But I am deeply honored to receive the honorary Palme d'Or and had so been looking forward to celebrating the remarkable films of the 79th edition.”
“I was also very much looking forward to spending time with colleagues whom I so admire — and, of course, returning to France, a place I have always loved,” she continued. “While I regret that I can't be there in person, I want to extend my warmest congratulations to all of the filmmakers from around the world whose extraordinary talent and creative vision are being celebrated this year.”
Barbra Streisand peforming in 2019
Credit: Kevin Kane/Getty
“My heartfelt thanks to the Festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema,” The Way We Were star concluded.
In her statement, Streisand did not share the cause of her injury or the expected timeline for her recovery.
PEOPLE has reached out to Streisand's representative for further comment.
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Despite her absence, Streisand will continue to be celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony on Saturday, held at the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
The festival said in a statement, “Iris Knobloch, Thierry Frémaux and the entire festival team send Barbra Streisand their warmest wishes for a prompt recovery.”
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The 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Streisand will be honored along with the two other recipients of this year's Palme d'Or awards, John Travolta and The Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson.
Streisand's last public appearance was at the 98th annual Academy Awards on March 15, as she performed a tribute to her The Way We Were costar Robert Redford, following his death on Sept. 16, 2025, at age 89.
The actress and singer honored the late actor with a moving rendition of her song of the same title from their 1973 romance drama.
Streisand said of Redford before performing the song, “He was a brilliant, subtle actor. And we had a wonderful time playing off each other because we never quite knew what the other one was going to do in the scene.”
on People
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