Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep received an honorary Palme d’Or, presented to her by actress Juliette Binoche, during the opening ceremony of the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on May 14.

To accept the reward, Streep returned to the venue 35 years after she made her Cannes debut with the 1988 film Evil Angels, which earned her the festival’s best actress award.

Binoche became emotional as she honoured Streep by recalling the latter’s iconic roles in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust, Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Sophie's Choice (1982). “You have carved out an indelible place for yourself in the history of cinema,” Binoche told Streep onstage, adding, “You are an international treasure.”

“What I could sense while watching your films is that you have to fulfil your dreams, our dreams and beyond. You change the way we look at women. You changed the way we look at women in the cinema world and also helping us to look at ourselves differently,” Binoche said.

Streep, also tearing up, humorously noted Americans’ habit of mispronouncing Cannes. She then took the opportunity to thank her longtime agent Kevin Huvane and her stylist Roy Helen, whom she credited with shaping nearly every character she has portrayed over the years.

“For me, watching those clips, it's like looking out the window of a bullet train, watching my youth fly into my middle age right on to where I am standing on the stage tonight,” the 74-year-old actress said.