American director Terrence Malick's expansive film "The Tree of Life" has won the top honor, the Palme d'Or in Cannes Film Festival.

The American Terrence Malick won the 2011 Golden Palm of Cannes festival.

The top prize was accepted by two of the movie's producers. "The Tree of Life, " which opens Friday in the US, tells a story of family life that plays out against a cosmic backdrop. It's the first American film to win the top honor at Cannes since the two recipients in 2003 and 2004, Elephant, and Farenheit 9-11.

"The Tree of life" directed by the American Terrence Malick won the 2011 Golden Palm of Cannes festival. The film featured the life of Jack, the eldest son of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. He tries to find answers to the meaning of life and the relation with God through shots from the innocence of childhood to disillusioned adult years.