CANNES, France, May 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Hollywood star Denzel Washington had a tense exchange with a photographer before he received a surprise honorary award at the Cannes film festival on Monday.

Washington, 70, was at the festival for the first time for the premiere of his latest film with New York director Spike Lee, "Highest 2 Lowest".

The two-time Oscar-winning actor was presented with an honorary Palme d'Or before the screening, where co-star A$AP Rocky and his partner Rihanna were among the VIPs.

"It's a total surprise. I'm so emotional," Washington said, a member of the audience told AFP.

Earlier the veteran actor appeared to have a testy encounter with a photographer on the red carpet.

The photographer appeared to grab the actor by the arm as he posed in front of a bank of cameras. Washington shook him off and then pointed his finger at him and appeared to say "Stop it" a number of times, videos showed.

But despite the awkward incident, Washington's mood was no doubt lifted by the rave reviews of him and Lee's film.

Loosely adapted from a Japanese master Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic, "High and Low", the Hollywood Reporter said the film has "wit, high style and kinetic energy to burn".

The Guardian praised Washington's "magnificent form" in the movie, saying he played a music mogul with "grinning monarchical assurance".

A$AP Rocky plays alongside Washington in "Highest 2 Lowest", extending an acting career that includes "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" by Mary Bronstein, which was shown at the Berlin film festival in February.

Before handing over the prize to Washington, festival director Thierry Fremaux introduced a montage of Washington's memorable performances including in "Malcolm X" and "Mo' Better Blues", both directed by Lee.

Clips were also shown from "Glory", which earned him an Oscar for best supporting actor in 1989, and "Training Day", for which he won best actor in 2002.

The cast of "Highest 2 Lowest" put on a show on the Cannes red carpet, with Spike Lee in an orange pinstripe suit, round glasses and an orange-and-blue hat, and A$AP Rocky showing off a gold dental piece.

Although Cannes usually hands out honorary awards in dedicated ceremonies, it is not unusual for actors to receive them unexpectedly -- as happened with Harrison Ford at the premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" in 2023.