Netflix picks up Cannes winners, Quentin Tarantino bags surprise award

'Atlantics' and 'I Lost my Body' will stream on Netflix, while Tarantino takes home doggy bag

Quentin Tarantino picked up this year's prestigious Palm Dog award. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters 
Powered by automated translation

Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival may be at loggerheads over the streaming service’s right to compete at the festival, but that hasn’t stopped Netflix from acquiring two of this year’s award winners for its service.

The highest profile acquisition is Mati Diop's Atlantics. The tale of a perilous love in Dakar was in the running for the Palme d'Or, and ultimately took home the Grand Prix, the second most prestigious award at the festival. It is also the first movie directed by a black woman to win a major award at the festival.

The other title, I Lost My Body, won the best film award at the Independent International Critics' Week section of the festival and also took the Nespresso Grand Prize. The animation from Jeremy Clapin follows a cut-off hand as it flees a lab to get back to the young man that it belongs to, and the woman that changed their lives.

In other Cannes award news, Quentin Tarantino's critically acclaimed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood failed to repeat the Palme d'Or success of Pulp Fiction on that film's 25th anniversary, but that hasn't stopped the director taking home a prize of his own.

Tarantino picked up the prestigious Palm Dog award on behalf of Brandy the Pit Bull terrier, who plays Brad Pitt’s pet in his new film. The Palm Dog celebrates the best canine performance at the festival, and was first awarded in 2001 by journalist Toby Rose. It has gone on to become a popular annual fixture at Cannes.

Tarantino picked up the award in person, although Brandy was unable to attend. The director told the audience: “I have to say I am so honoured to have this. I’ve told everybody, I have no idea if we’re going to win the Palme d’Or. I feel no entitlement. But I did feel that I was in good standing to win the Palm Dog. So I want to dedicate this to my wonderful actress Brandy. She has brought the Palm Dog home to America.”

Brandy joins previous winners including Banjo and Poppy from Ben Wheatley's comedy horror Sightseers, Uggie from The Artist and the entire canine cast of Dogman.