Quentin Tarantino Only American in Cannes Film Festival

Quentin Tarantino, whose World War II film, Inglourious Basterds, is up for the festival's top prize, is the only American director at this year's Cannes, BBC News reports.

Tarantino's film is one of 20 competing for the Palme d'Or, the festival's most coveted prize. The 46-year-old director won the prestigious award back in 1994 with Pulp Fiction.

This year's Inglourious Basterds, a WWII action film, stars Brad Pitt. Amongst the other competitors is New Zealand director Jane Campion, the first woman to secure the Palme d'Or in 1993 with The Piano, and Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 62nd Cannes festival will run May 13 to 24 in the South of France.