CANNES, May 18 — Quentin Tarantino may have made it to the Cannes film competition by the skin of his teeth after rushing to finish editing on his latest movie in time but the director put in an unexpected early turn on the Croisette’s red carpet today.

Accompanied by his wife, Israeli singer and model Daniela Pick, Tarantino surprised movie-goers as he joined stars lining up to see The Wild Goose Lake, a film by China’s Diao Yinan which is also competing for the festival’s top Palme D’Or prize.

Tarantino’s ninth outing Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood, billed as an ode to the cinema industry, is one of the Cannes Film Festival’s most hotly anticipated entries this year.

Starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio, it is set to premiere on the French Riviera on May 21.

Tarantino, who is returning to the film festival 25 years after Pulp Fiction clinched the Palme D’Or, was initially omitted from the festival line-up but was announced as a late entrant after racing to edit his latest movie. — Reuters