Tarantino, Cantona vie for Cannes Palme d'Or

New movies from Quentin Tarantino, Ken Loach and Ang Lee will compete for the Palme d'Or prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

As expected, Tarantino's World War II epic Inglourious Basterds will get its world premiere in competition on the Croissette. The film, starring Brad Pitt, centres on a group of Jewish-American soldiers who embark on a perilous revenge mission in Nazi-occupied France.

Tarantino previously won the French festival's top award in 1994 for Pulp Fiction.

Among the 19 other movies contesting this year's prestigious Palme d'Or prize are Ken Loach's Looking For Eric, about a postman who seeks advice from legendary footballer Eric Cantona; Taking Woodstock, Ang Lee's comedy detailing the famous 1969 music festival; Jane Campion's John Keats biopic Bright Star; and Antichrist, a Lars Von Trier offering about a couple who retreat to a cabin in the woods in a bid to save their marriage.

Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, the final film of Heath Ledger, will show out of competition along with Alessandro Amenabar's Agora (starring Rachel Weisz). Pixar's Up! will open the festival, while the closing movie will be Jan Kounen's Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky.

It was announced yesterday that Cannes will also feature a first look at footage from Robert Zemeckis's A Christmas Carol.

The 2009 Cannes Film Festival runs from May 13 to May 24.