At the 57th Cannes Film Festival, the jury president was a 40-year-old American named Quentin Tarantino, a Hollywood genius who emerged from a video rental store.
Born in Tennessee in 1963, Quentin was named after a movie protagonist because his mother was an avid film enthusiast. Influenced by her, he spent much of his childhood in cinemas, growing up with a deep love for film.
Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a filmmaker. However, reality was far from the dream; due to his family's financial situation, he had no opportunity for formal film education. At 18, he dropped out of high school to support himself, working as a clerk in a Manhattan video rental store. His daily tasks involved organizing countless tapes and helping customers find and rent films.
The job at the video store wasn't too demanding, leaving him with some free time. During his breaks, Quentin would watch movies he found interesting, one by one. This was the era of Hong Kong cinema's golden age, when Hong Kong action films were making a significant impact on the global film scene. He was a huge fan of Hong Kong action cinema and a loyal follower of stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. After watching countless films, he gradually began to understand the craft. Film no longer seemed mysterious to him, and he began to think that perhaps he could do it too.