7. "Farewell My Concubine", 1993

Poster of "Farewell My Concubine" [Xinhuanet]

 

In the late 1980s, Cannes started to notice the films from China. Chen Kaige's "The Yellow Earth" and Zhang Yimou's "Red Sorghum" gained recognitions in Locarno and Berlin Film Festival before their directors ever got invited to Cannes. Finally, Chen's "Farewell My Concubine" won the Palme d'Or.

8. "Pulp Fiction", 1994

Poster of "Pulp Fiction" [Xinhuanet]

The jury of that year, led by Clint Eastwood, chose Quentin Tarantino's melodrama as the winner. This cult movie revived the career of John Travolta, turned Samuel L. Jackson into an A-list star and set the action-movie tone for the rest of the decade. In 2009, Tarantino brought his war movie "Inglourious Basterds" back to Cannes, where he earned a global fame for a new-round competition.