American music and film icon Barbra Streisand will not attend the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival (the prestigious annual French gathering widely considered the world's leading cinema showcase) after doctors advised her against travelling due to a knee injury. Despite her absence, Streisand will still receive the Honorary Palme d'Or, the festival's lifetime achievement distinction. The development means organisers will need to find an alternative way to present the honour to one of the evening's most anticipated guests.