Quentin Tarantino has declared “cinema is dead” at the Cannes film festival, where he argued screening films in digital is simply forcing an audience to watch television in public and lambasted established film makers for turning their back on 35 mm film.

Speaking at the festival where the director won the Palme d'Or prize in 1994 for his cult film Pulp Fiction, Tarantino condemned digital projections as a poor substitute for the "real thing".

Tarantino joined Uma Thurman and John Travolta for the 20th anniversary celebration of Pulp Fiction, shortly before a 35mm screening of his hit on the beach on Friday night.

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The 51-year-old filmmaker told journalists and critics: "As far as I'm concerned, digital projection and DCPs is the death of cinema as I know it."

“The fact that most films now are not presented in 35 mm means that the war is lost. Digital projections, that's just television in public. And apparently the whole world is OK with television in public, but what I knew as cinema is dead."

Shape Created with Sketch. Cannes 2014 in pictures Show all 57 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Cannes 2014 in pictures 1/57 Cannes 2014 Jane Fonda arrives on the red carpet for the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony Getty Images 2/57 Cannes 2014 Model Irina Shayk attends 'The Search' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival 3/57 Cannes 2014 Quentin Tarantino dances with Uma Thurman as he arrives at Cannes AFP/ Getty Images 4/57 Cannes 2014 John Travolta, US actress Uma Thurman and US director Quentin Tarantino pose as they arrive for the screening of the film 'Sils Maria' AFP/Getty Images 5/57 Cannes 2014 Model Rosie Huntington Whiteley during the festival in Cannes 6/57 Cannes 2014 Cast of the "Lost River": (L-R) Reda Kateb, Matt Smith, Ian De Caestecker, Christina Hendricks and director Ryan Gosling attend the photocall during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival 7/57 Cannes 2014 Director Ryan Gosling attends a photo call for "Lost River" at the 67th international film festival in Cannes 8/57 Cannes 2014 Ryan Gosling and Christina Hendricks pose during the photocall for "Lost River" at the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 9/57 Cannes 2014 Adriana Lima attends 'The Homesman' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 10/57 Cannes 2014 Hilary Swank poses as she arrives for the screening of 'The Homesman' at the 67th international film festival in Cannes 11/57 Cannes 2014 Freida Pinto attends 'The Homesman' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 12/57 Cannes 2014 Mel Gibson attends 'The Expendables 3' Official Cast Dinner Party at Gotha Club in Cannes 13/57 Cannes 2014 Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas attend 'The Expendables 3' Official Cast Dinner Party at Gotha Club in Cannes 14/57 Cannes 2014 Jennifer Lawrence attends 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' photocall at the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 15/57 Cannes 2014 Valentina Paloma Pinault (Salma Hayek's daughter) attends the 'Saint Laurent' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 16/57 Cannes 2014 Aymeline Valade attends the 'Saint Laurent' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 17/57 Cannes 2014 Eva Longoria poses as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Saint-Laurent' at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 18/57 Cannes 2014 Freida Pinto poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Saint Laurent' in competition at the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 19/57 Cannes 2014 French director Lisa Azuelos (L) and French actress Julie Gayet (R) hold a sign reading '# Bring Back Our Girls' as they arrive for the screening of 'Saint Laurent' during the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival 20/57 Cannes 2014 Blake Lively attends the 'Captives' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 21/57 Cannes 2014 Hofit Golan attends the 'How To Train Your Dragon 2' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 22/57 Cannes 2014 Rosario Dawson poses as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Captives' at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 23/57 Cannes 2014 Blake Lively (L) laughs on the red carpet with Rosario Dawson as they arrive for the screening of the film 'Captives' at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 24/57 Cannes 2014 Blake Lively attends the Premiere of "Mr. Turner" at the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 25/57 Cannes 2014 US actress Blake Lively poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "Mr. Turner" at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 26/57 Cannes 2014 Sonia Rolland attends the "Timbuktu" premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 27/57 Cannes 2014 Sonia Rolland poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "Timbuktu" at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 28/57 Cannes 2014 Former Russian real TV contestant Elena Lenina poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "Mr. Turner" at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 29/57 Cannes 2014 Fatoumata Diawara attends the "Timbuktu" premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 30/57 Cannes 2014 Julianne Moore arrives for the screening of 'Mr Turner' during the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival 31/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Rosario Dawson kisses Mireille Enos as they attend the "Captives" photocall during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 32/57 Cannes 2014 Cate Blanchett and Adele Exarchopoulos pose onstage at the Chopard Trophy during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 33/57 Cannes 2014 French actress Alice Taglioni arrives at the Cannes opening ceremony Getty Images 34/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Frederique Bel attends the Opening ceremony Getty Images 35/57 Adele-Exarchopoulos.jpg 'Blue is the Warmest Colour' actress Adele Exarchopoulos Getty Images 36/57 Cannes 2014 Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi attends the opening ceremony Getty 37/57 Cannes 2014 'Amelie' Actress Audrey Tautou on the red carpet at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images 38/57 Cannes 2014 French actress Laetitia Casta poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 39/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Zoe Saldana attends the Opening ceremony and the 'Grace of Monaco' Premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images 40/57 Cannes 2014 Model Karlie Kloss poses at the Opening ceremony and the 'Grace of Monaco' Premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival on 14 May, in Cannes, France. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images 41/57 Cannes 2014 'Grace of Monaco' cast and crew: (from left to right) Paz Vega, Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, director Olivier Dahan, Jeanne Balibar, Pierre Ange Le Pogam and Geraldine Somerville Getty Images 42/57 Cannes 2014 Elena Lenina attends the Opening Ceremony Getty Images 43/57 Cannes 2014 US actress Blake Lively poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 44/57 Cannes 2014 US model Karlie Kloss poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 45/57 Cannes 2014 French actress and member of the Un Certain Regard Jury Geraldine Pailhas poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 46/57 Cannes 2014 Model and TV personality Kendal Jenner at the Opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on 14 May, 2014 in Cannes, France. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images 47/57 Cannes 2014 (Left to right) Jury members, US director Sofia Coppola, Iranian actress Leila Hatami, French actress Carole Bouquet, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, New Zealand director Jane Campion, Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, Chinese director Jia Zhangke and US actor Willem Dafoe arrive for the screening of 'Grace of Monaco' and the Opening Ceremony of the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER 48/57 Cannes 2014 US actress Jane Fonda poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes Getty Images 49/57 Cannes 2014 Jury member Masami Nagasawa attends the welcome Cocktail party for jury members Getty Images 50/57 Cannes 2014 Jury member Gael Garcia Bernal attends the welcome Cocktail party for jury members Getty Images 51/57 Cannes 2014 Nicole Kidman dances with French actor and Master of Ceremony Lambert Wilson during the Opening Ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 52/57 Cannes 2014 Jury members Leila Hatami and Nicolas Winding Refn Getty Images 53/57 Cannes 2014 Director Alfonso Cuaron attends the Opening ceremony Getty Images 54/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Nicole Kidman on the red carpet at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival Ian Gavan/Getty Images 55/57 Cannes 2014 Photographers line up to photograph the Grace of Monaco cast on the red carpet Getty Images 56/57 Cannes 2014 Spanish actress Paz Vega attends a preview of 'Grace of Monaco' Getty Images 57/57 Cannes 2014 Jury member Sofia Coppola Getty Images 1/57 Cannes 2014 Jane Fonda arrives on the red carpet for the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony Getty Images 2/57 Cannes 2014 Model Irina Shayk attends 'The Search' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival 3/57 Cannes 2014 Quentin Tarantino dances with Uma Thurman as he arrives at Cannes AFP/ Getty Images 4/57 Cannes 2014 John Travolta, US actress Uma Thurman and US director Quentin Tarantino pose as they arrive for the screening of the film 'Sils Maria' AFP/Getty Images 5/57 Cannes 2014 Model Rosie Huntington Whiteley during the festival in Cannes 6/57 Cannes 2014 Cast of the "Lost River": (L-R) Reda Kateb, Matt Smith, Ian De Caestecker, Christina Hendricks and director Ryan Gosling attend the photocall during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival 7/57 Cannes 2014 Director Ryan Gosling attends a photo call for "Lost River" at the 67th international film festival in Cannes 8/57 Cannes 2014 Ryan Gosling and Christina Hendricks pose during the photocall for "Lost River" at the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 9/57 Cannes 2014 Adriana Lima attends 'The Homesman' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 10/57 Cannes 2014 Hilary Swank poses as she arrives for the screening of 'The Homesman' at the 67th international film festival in Cannes 11/57 Cannes 2014 Freida Pinto attends 'The Homesman' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 12/57 Cannes 2014 Mel Gibson attends 'The Expendables 3' Official Cast Dinner Party at Gotha Club in Cannes 13/57 Cannes 2014 Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas attend 'The Expendables 3' Official Cast Dinner Party at Gotha Club in Cannes 14/57 Cannes 2014 Jennifer Lawrence attends 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' photocall at the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 15/57 Cannes 2014 Valentina Paloma Pinault (Salma Hayek's daughter) attends the 'Saint Laurent' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 16/57 Cannes 2014 Aymeline Valade attends the 'Saint Laurent' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 17/57 Cannes 2014 Eva Longoria poses as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Saint-Laurent' at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 18/57 Cannes 2014 Freida Pinto poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Saint Laurent' in competition at the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 19/57 Cannes 2014 French director Lisa Azuelos (L) and French actress Julie Gayet (R) hold a sign reading '# Bring Back Our Girls' as they arrive for the screening of 'Saint Laurent' during the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival 20/57 Cannes 2014 Blake Lively attends the 'Captives' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 21/57 Cannes 2014 Hofit Golan attends the 'How To Train Your Dragon 2' premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 22/57 Cannes 2014 Rosario Dawson poses as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Captives' at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 23/57 Cannes 2014 Blake Lively (L) laughs on the red carpet with Rosario Dawson as they arrive for the screening of the film 'Captives' at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 24/57 Cannes 2014 Blake Lively attends the Premiere of "Mr. Turner" at the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 25/57 Cannes 2014 US actress Blake Lively poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "Mr. Turner" at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 26/57 Cannes 2014 Sonia Rolland attends the "Timbuktu" premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 27/57 Cannes 2014 Sonia Rolland poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "Timbuktu" at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 28/57 Cannes 2014 Former Russian real TV contestant Elena Lenina poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "Mr. Turner" at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 29/57 Cannes 2014 Fatoumata Diawara attends the "Timbuktu" premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 30/57 Cannes 2014 Julianne Moore arrives for the screening of 'Mr Turner' during the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival 31/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Rosario Dawson kisses Mireille Enos as they attend the "Captives" photocall during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 32/57 Cannes 2014 Cate Blanchett and Adele Exarchopoulos pose onstage at the Chopard Trophy during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 33/57 Cannes 2014 French actress Alice Taglioni arrives at the Cannes opening ceremony Getty Images 34/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Frederique Bel attends the Opening ceremony Getty Images 35/57 Adele-Exarchopoulos.jpg 'Blue is the Warmest Colour' actress Adele Exarchopoulos Getty Images 36/57 Cannes 2014 Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi attends the opening ceremony Getty 37/57 Cannes 2014 'Amelie' Actress Audrey Tautou on the red carpet at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images 38/57 Cannes 2014 French actress Laetitia Casta poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 39/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Zoe Saldana attends the Opening ceremony and the 'Grace of Monaco' Premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images 40/57 Cannes 2014 Model Karlie Kloss poses at the Opening ceremony and the 'Grace of Monaco' Premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival on 14 May, in Cannes, France. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images 41/57 Cannes 2014 'Grace of Monaco' cast and crew: (from left to right) Paz Vega, Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, director Olivier Dahan, Jeanne Balibar, Pierre Ange Le Pogam and Geraldine Somerville Getty Images 42/57 Cannes 2014 Elena Lenina attends the Opening Ceremony Getty Images 43/57 Cannes 2014 US actress Blake Lively poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 44/57 Cannes 2014 US model Karlie Kloss poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 45/57 Cannes 2014 French actress and member of the Un Certain Regard Jury Geraldine Pailhas poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 46/57 Cannes 2014 Model and TV personality Kendal Jenner at the Opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on 14 May, 2014 in Cannes, France. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images 47/57 Cannes 2014 (Left to right) Jury members, US director Sofia Coppola, Iranian actress Leila Hatami, French actress Carole Bouquet, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, New Zealand director Jane Campion, Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, Chinese director Jia Zhangke and US actor Willem Dafoe arrive for the screening of 'Grace of Monaco' and the Opening Ceremony of the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER 48/57 Cannes 2014 US actress Jane Fonda poses as she arrives for the Opening ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes Getty Images 49/57 Cannes 2014 Jury member Masami Nagasawa attends the welcome Cocktail party for jury members Getty Images 50/57 Cannes 2014 Jury member Gael Garcia Bernal attends the welcome Cocktail party for jury members Getty Images 51/57 Cannes 2014 Nicole Kidman dances with French actor and Master of Ceremony Lambert Wilson during the Opening Ceremony of the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Getty Images 52/57 Cannes 2014 Jury members Leila Hatami and Nicolas Winding Refn Getty Images 53/57 Cannes 2014 Director Alfonso Cuaron attends the Opening ceremony Getty Images 54/57 Cannes 2014 Actress Nicole Kidman on the red carpet at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival Ian Gavan/Getty Images 55/57 Cannes 2014 Photographers line up to photograph the Grace of Monaco cast on the red carpet Getty Images 56/57 Cannes 2014 Spanish actress Paz Vega attends a preview of 'Grace of Monaco' Getty Images 57/57 Cannes 2014 Jury member Sofia Coppola Getty Images

When asked how cinema could be saved, he described this generation as “quite hopeless” but said he remains hopeful the next one “would demand the real thing”.

“I'm hopeful that we're going through a woozy romantic period with the ease of digital,” he added. “I'm very hopeful that future generations will be much smarter than this generation and realise what they lost."

"Back in my day, you at least needed 16mm to make something, and that was a Mount Everest most of us couldn't climb.

"But why an established filmmaker would shoot on digital, I have no ******* idea at all."

An excited Tarantino broke out into an impromptu dance and recreated Pulp Fiction's Jack Rabbit Slim's scene as he arrived at Cannes before greeting Travolta and Thurman with a high five.

The trio held hands while posing for cameras and then headed to the premiere of Clouds of Sils Maria at the Palais des Festivals before Pulp Fiction was shown.

After arriving at city's beach for the screening of his breakthrough film, Tarantino told an excited audience: "I've seen Pulp Fiction under every circumstance a person can see it except this one," and instructed them to “rip out a joint and light it up”.