Quentin Tarantino's new film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" has just won its first award.

But it's not for the auteur director, nor for luminary stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Instead, the award, the Palm Dog, was bestowed upon Brandy the Pitbull for the best performance by a canine at the Cannes Film Festival.

Brandy wasn't in France to accept the award, so Tarantino surprised onlookers when he showed up to collect the prize on her behalf.

"I want to thank the jury from the bottom of my black heart," he said. "At least I don't go home empty-handed."

Brandy plays the pet dog of Pitt's character Booth and plays a crucial role in at least one scene. Tarantino praised Brandy's acting, saying, "When I was editing the movie I realized, she's a great actress. I actually started seeing things in her face when I was cutting it together that I didn't see on the day, so whatever little difficulties we had on set just really melted away when I saw what a great performance she gave."

Other dogs were honored, including Bello from the sci-fi horror film "Little Joe." A special mention went to the canine cast of "Aasha and the Street Dogs," the first live-action dog drama shot in India.