LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- As the Cannes Film Festival gets underway , all eyes will once again be on the contenders for the festival 's top prize -- the Palme d'Or . As one of the most prestigious awards in world cinema , the Golden Palm has been the launchpad for success for many films over the decades . Quentin Tarantino and Bruce Willis promote the celebrated `` Pulp Fiction '' at the festival in '94 . But it 's not only Hollywood films that get recognition -- just two Palme d'Or winners have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars , and just one American movie is competing in this year 's contest . We 've picked five of the most groundbreaking and iconic Palme d'Or winners from around the world since the award 's inception in 1955 . `` Le monde du silence '' ( 1956 ) Director : Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle Starring : Frédéric Dumas , Jacques-Yves Cousteau , Albert Falco . Cousteau 's `` Silent World '' was the first documentary to walk away with the golden palm , having already won the Best Documentary prize at that year 's Oscars . This deep-sea exploration was one of the first films to show the beauty of the ocean depths in full color , and was also the first French film to win the Palme d'Or -- until 1955 the award had been known as the Grand Prix . What happened next : Cousteau repeated his Oscar success with `` World Without Sun '' in 1964 . It was not until Michael Moore 's `` Fahrenheit 9/11 '' in 2004 that another documentary would repeat `` Le monde du silence '' 's success at Cannes . `` La Dolce Vita '' ( 1960 ) Director : Federico Fellini Starring : Marcello Mastroianni , Anita Ekberg , Anouk Aimée . Fellini 's Roman epic has become one of the most important Italian films ever made , loaded with religious iconography , aristocratic decadence and media comment -- the film even coined the term paparazzi . Tracking a week in the life of a 1950s journalist , `` La Dolce Vita '' was greeted rapturously by critics in both Europe and America . What happened next : An Oscar followed in 1962 , and Fellini became a pioneer of arthouse films , following his interest in Jungian psychology . The film 's 50th anniversary will be marked at this year 's festival with the airing of a previously unseen behind-the-scenes documentary . `` Apocalypse Now '' ( 1979 ) Director : Francis Ford Coppola Starring : Martin Sheen , Marlon Brando , Robert Duvall . This one nearly did n't even make the festival -- director Francis Ford Coppola needed persuading to premiere what was then an unfinished three-hour edit of the infamous Vietnam epic . His decision to go ahead was vindicated by rapturous applause from the audience at the end credits . Despite the film 's incomplete state , the jury awarded it the Palme d'Or , shared with Volker Schlondorff 's `` The Tin Drum . '' What happened next : The film is now widely regarded as an all-time classic , with its iconic helicopter attack scene to the strains of `` Ride of the Valkyries '' passing into folklore as one of cinema 's most memorable scenes . Coppola won a Golden Globe for Best Director , and the film picked up two Academy Awards for sound and cinematography . `` The Piano '' ( 1993 ) Director : Jane Campion Starring : Holly Hunter , Harvey Keitel , Anna Paquin . Writer and director Jane Campion is to date the only woman , and the only New Zealander , to scoop the Palme d'Or , shared that year with Chinese drama `` Farewell My Concubine . '' Her stunning period drama featured Holly Hunter as a mute pianist , who also walked off with the Best Actress award at the festival . What happened next : The film enjoyed extraordinary success and critical acclaim -- Hunter went on to take Best Actress awards at almost every major awards ceremony , including the Oscars and Golden Globes , while Michael Nyman 's soundtrack became a bestseller . `` Pulp Fiction '' ( 1994 ) Director : Quentin Tarantino Starring : John Travolta , Uma Thurman , Samuel L Jackson . Quentin Tarantino 's eagerly awaited follow-up to `` Reservoir Dogs '' will go down in history as a Cannes classic . The collection of bloody vignettes centering around smalltime LA gangsters stormed the festival -- the whole cast was flown over for the premiere , which received rave reviews across the board , cementing Tarantino 's position as one of the world 's hippest directors . What happened next : Tarantino picked up the Best Screenplay gong at the Oscars , Baftas and Golden Globes , with the film scoring a host of other awards and nominations . `` Pulp Fiction '' started a life-long love affair with Cannes for Tarantino , who became president of the festival 's jury in 2004 .
` `` The Piano '' `` Pulp Fiction '' silence '' becomes 50th ever documentary to win in 1956 . In 1956 , Academy Awards 's unfinished version of `` Apocalypse Now '' takes top prize . Jane Campion is the only female director to win Palme d'Or , for `` The Piano '' `` Pulp Fiction '' starts Tarantino 's life-long love affair with Cannes in 1979 .