The film is the official winner of the first-ever Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, although this was awarded in retrospect at the 2002 festival. The festival was to debut in 1939 but was cancelled owing to World War II. The organizers of the 2002 festival presented part of the original 1939 selection to a professional jury of six members. The films were: "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", "La piste du nord", "Lenin in 1918", "The Four Feathers", "The Wizard of Oz", "Union Pacific", and "Boefje".