The 12th

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

was held from 30 April to 15 May

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

. The

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

went to the ''

Orfeu Negro ''Black Orpheus'' (Portuguese: ''Orfeu Negro'' ) is a 1959 romantic tragedy film made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus and starring Marpessa Dawn and Breno Mello. It is based on the play ''Orfeu da Conceição'' by Vinicius de Mora ...

'' by

Marcel Camus Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian ...

. The festival opened with '' Les Quatre Cents Coups'', directed by

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more th ...

and closed with ''

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

'', directed by

George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary '' Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nominated for the Academy Award for ...

. In 1959, the

Marché du Film The ''Marché du Film'' (french for "Film Market") is one of the largest film markets in the world.Marc ...

(lit. Film Market) was established as the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival, with the aim of helping meet the needs of film industry professionals. Before this year the market was held unofficially in the cinemas of the rue d'Antibes in Cannes. Another important development of that year for the Festival, was that the French cinema moved away from the Ministry of Industry and became part of Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

Jury

The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1959 competition: Feature films *

Marcel Achard Marcel Achard (5 July 1899 – 4 September 1974) was a French playwright and screenwriter whose popular sentimental comedies Garzanti p. 3 maintained his position as a highly recognizable name in his country's theatrical and literary circles ...

(France) Jury President * Antoni Bohdziewicz (Poland) *

Michael Cacoyannis Michael Cacoyannis ( el, Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης, ''Michalis Kakogiannis''; 11 June 1922 – 25 July 2011), sometimes credited as Michael Yannis, was a Greek Cypriot theatre and film director, writer, producer, and actor. ...

(Greece) * Carlos Cuenca (Spain) *

Pierre Daninos Pierre Daninos (26 May 1913 – 7 January 2005) was a French writer and humorist. Life Daninos was born in Paris. He wrote ''Les carnets du Major Thompson'', which was published in 1954, and was followed by many sequels. The books in the series ...

(France) * Julien Duvivier (France) * Max Favalelli (France) * Gene Kelly (USA) * Carlo Ponti (Italy) *

Micheline Presle Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...

(France) *

Sergei Vasilyev Sergei Dmitrievich Vasilyev (russian: Серге́й Дми́триевич Васи́льев; 4 November 1900, Moscow – 16 December 1959, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter and actor. From 1928 to 1943 togethe ...

(Soviet Union) Short films * Philippe Agostini (France) * Antonin Brousil (Czechoslovakia) * Paula Talaskivi (Finland) * Jean Vivie (France) (CST official) * Véra Volmane (France) (journalist)

Feature film competition

The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: *''

The 400 Blows ''The 400 Blows'' (french: Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French coming-of-age drama film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut. The film, shot in DyaliScope, stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of ...

'' (''Les Quatre Cents Coups'') by

*'' Araya'' by

Margot Benacerraf Margot Benacerraf (born August 14, 1926) is a Venezuelan director of Moroccan Jewish descent. Benacerraf was one of the first Latin American filmmakers to study at IDHEC (''Institut des hautes études cinématographiques'') in Paris. Work Benace ...

*'' Arms and the Man'' (''Helden'') by Franz Peter Wirth *''

Black Orpheus ''Black Orpheus'' ( Portuguese: ''Orfeu Negro'' ) is a 1959 romantic tragedy film made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus and starring Marpessa Dawn and Breno Mello. It is based on the play ''Orfeu da Conceição'' by Vinicius de Mora ...

'' (''Orfeu Negro'') by

*'' Bloody Twilight'' (''Matomeno iliovasilemma'') by Andreas Labrinos *'' The Chasers'' (''Jakten'') by Erik Løchen *''

Compulsion Compulsion may refer to: * Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so. * Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by i ...

'' by Richard Fleischer *''

Court Martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

'' (''Kriegsgericht'') by

Kurt Meisel Kurt Meisel (18 August 1912 – 4 April 1994) was an Austrian actor and film director. He appeared in 65 films between 1934 and 1994. He also directed 21 films between 1949 and 1984. Meisel was married to the actress Ursula Lingen. He was born a ...

*'' Desire'' (''Touha'') by

Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...

*''

'' by

*''

Édes Anna ''Édes Anna'' is a 1958 Hungarian drama film directed by Zoltán Fábri. It was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Mari Törőcsik – Édes Anna * Mária Mezei – Vízyné * Károly Kovács – Vízy Kornél * Zsigmond F� ...

'' by

Zoltán Fábri Zoltán Fábri (15 October 1917 – 23 August 1994) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. His films ''The Boys of Paul Street'' (1969) and ''Hungarians'' (1978) were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. H ...

*''

Eva Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...

'' (''Die Halbzarte'') by Rolf Thiele *'' Fanfare'' by Bert Haanstra *''

Hiroshima Mon Amour ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (, lit. , ), is a 1959 romantic drama film directed by French director Alain Resnais and written by French author Marguerite Duras. Resnais' first feature-length work, it was a co-production between France and Japan, an ...

'' by

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

*''

A Home for Tanya ''A Home for Tanya'' (russian: Отчий дом, translit. Otchiy dom) is a 1959 Soviet drama film directed by Lev Kulidzhanov. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Vera Kuznetsova as Natalya Avdeyevna ...

'' () by

Lev Kulidzhanov Lev Aleksandrovich Kulidzhanov (russian: Лев Александрович Кулиджанов; 19 March 1924 – 17 February 2002) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter and professor at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematograph ...

*'' Honeymoon'' (''Luna de Miel'') by

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a seri ...

*''

Lajwanti ''Lajwanti'' is a 1958 Indian drama film directed by Narendra Suri. It was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or for Best Film. The film was remade in Tamil as ''Engal Selvi'' (1960). Cast * Bal ...

'' by Narendra Suri *''

Middle of the Night ''Middle of the Night'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by Delbert Mann, and released by Columbia Pictures.'' Variety'' film review; May 20, 1959, page 6.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; May 23, 1959, page 82. It was entered into th ...

'' by

Delbert Mann Delbert Martin Mann Jr. (January 30, 1920 – November 11, 2007) was an American television and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film '' Marty'' (1955), adapted from a 1953 teleplay of the same name which he ...

*'' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (''Sen noci svatojanske'') by

Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is best kn ...

*'' Miss April'' (''Fröken April'') by Göran Gentele *''

Nazarín ''Nazarín'' (, ) is a 1959 Mexican satirical drama film directed by Luis Buñuel and co-written between Buñuel and Julio Alejandro, adapted from the eponymous novel of Benito Pérez Galdós. The film received the international prize at the 19 ...

'' by

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

*'' Policarpo'' (''Policarpo, ufficiale di scrittura'') by

Mario Soldati Mario Soldati (17 November 1906 – 19 June 1999) was an Italian writer and film director. In 1954 he won the Strega Prize for ''Lettere da Capri.'' He directed several works adapted from novels, and worked with leading Italian actresses, su ...

*''

Portuguese Rhapsody ''Portuguese Rhapsody'' ( pt, Rapsódia Portuguesa) is a 1959 Portuguese documentary film directed by João Mendes. It was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival The 12th Cannes Film Festival was held from 30 April to 15 May 1959. The Pal ...

'' (''Rapsódia Portuguesa'') by João Mendes *'' Room at the Top'' by

Jack Clayton Jack Isaac Clayton (1 March 1921 – 26 February 1995) was a British film director and producer who specialised in bringing literary works to the screen. Overview Starting out as a teenage studio "tea boy" in 1935, Clayton worked his way up ...

*''

The Snowy Heron is a 1958 Japanese film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. It was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Fujiko Yamamoto - Oshino * Keizo Kawasaki - Junichi Inaki * Yosuke Irie - Takashi Irie * Shūji Sano - Kumajirō Gosaka * Hito ...

'' (''Shirasagi'') by

Teinosuke Kinugasa was a Japanese filmmaker. He was born in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture and died in Kyoto. Kinugasa won the 1954 Palme d'or at the Cannes Film Festival for '' Gate of Hell''. Biography Kinugasa began his career as an onnagata (actor specializing in ...

*''

The Soldiers of Pancho Villa ''The Soldiers of Pancho Villa'' ( es, La Cucaracha) is a 1959 Mexican epic historical drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Ismael Rodríguez, inspired by the popular Mexican Revolution corrido "La Cucaracha". It stars María Félix a ...

'' (''La Cucaracha'') by

Ismael Rodríguez Ismael Rodríguez (October 19, 1917 – August 7, 2004) was a Mexican film director. Rodríguez rose to fame due to the movies he directed starring Pedro Infante, and directed many major stars, including Dolores del Río, María Félix, To ...

*''

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

'' (''Sterne'') by

Konrad Wolf Konrad Wolf (20 October 1925 – 7 March 1982) was an East German film director. He was the son of writer, doctor and diplomat Friedrich Wolf, and the younger brother of Stasi spymaster Markus Wolf. "Koni" was his nickname. Biography Beca ...

*'' Sugar Harvest'' (''Zafra'') by Lucas Demare *'' Tang fu yu sheng nu'' by Tien Shen *'' Train Without a Timetable'' (''Vlak bez voznog reda'') by

Veljko Bulajić Veljko Bulajić (born 22 March 1928) is a Montenegrin film director and UNESCO Kalinga Prize recipient. He has spent the majority of his life working in Croatia and is primarily known for directing World War II-themed movies from the Partisan f ...

Short film competition

The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or: * ''A Telhetetlen mehecske'' by Gyula Macskássy * ''Cinématographier'' or ''Préhistoire du cinema'' by Emile Degelin * ''Corrida interdite'' by Denys Colomb Daunant * ''Deca sa granice'' by Purisa Djordjevic * ''Eine Stadt feiert Geburtstag'' by Ferdinand Khittl * ''Espana 1.800'' by Jesús Fernández Santos * ''Fartsfeber'' by Finn Carlsby * '' Histoire d'un poisson rouge'' by Edmond Sechan * ''Hsi yu chi'' by Tei Yang * ''La mer et les jours'' by Alain Kaminker, Raymond Vogel * ''La primera fundacion de Buenos Aires'' by Fernando Birri * ''Le petit pecheur de la Mer de Chine'' by Serge Hanin * ''Le Seigneur Julius'' by Khaled Abdul Wahab * ''Ligeud ad luftvejen'' by

Henning Carlsen Henning Carlsen (4 June 1927 – 30 May 2014) was a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer most noted for his documentaries and his contributions to the style of cinéma vérité. Carlsen's 1966 social-realistic drama ''Hunger'' (''Su ...

* ''

Butterflies Don't Live Here Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises t ...

'' (''Motyli zde neziji'') by

Miro Bernat Miro or Miró may refer to: Companies * Miro Company, a French game manufacturer * Miro Technologies, a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) software supplier from California * Pinnacle Systems, Miro Video series of the video capture cards * ...

* ''Neobjknovennie vstretchi'' by Archa Ovanessova * '' New York, New York'' by Francis Thompson * ''Paese d'America'' by Gian Luigi Polidoro * ''Pecheurs de Sozopol'' by Nikolay Borovishki * ''See Pakistan'' by W.J. Moylan * ''Sinn im Sinnlosen'' by Bernhard Von Peithner-Lichtenfels * ''Taj Mahal (short film)'' by Shri Mushir Ahmed * ''Ten Men in a Boat'' by Sydney Latter * ''The Fox Has Four Eyes'' by

Jamie Uys Jacobus Johannes Uys (; 30 May 1921 – 29 January 1996), better known as Jamie Uys, was a South African film director, best known for directing the 1980 comedy film '' The Gods Must Be Crazy'' and its 1989 sequel '' The Gods Must Be Crazy II'' ...

* '' The Living Stone'' by John Feeney * ''Tussenspel bij kaarslicht'' by Charles Huguenot Van Der Linden * ''Zmiana warty'' (''The Changing of the Guard'') by Włodzimierz Haupe

Awards

Official awards

The following films and people received the 1959 awards: *

: ''

'' by

* Prix spécial du jury: ''

'' by

* Best Director:

for ''

'' (''Les Quatre Cents Coups'') *

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

for '' Room at the Top'' * Best Actor:

Dean Stockwell Robert Dean Stockwell (March 5, 1936 – November 7, 2021) was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he first came to the public's attention in films including ''Anchors A ...

Bradford Dillman Bradford Dillman (April 14, 1930 – January 16, 2018) was an American actor and author. Early life Bradford Dillman was born on April 14, 1930, in San Francisco, the son of Dean Dillman, a stockbroker, and Josephine (née Moore). Bradford's pa ...

and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

for ''

'' *Best Comedy Award: '' Policarpo, ufficiale di scrittura'' by

*International Award: ''

'' by

*Special Mention: ''

'' (''Shirasagi'') by

*Award of the best selection to Czechoslovakia: **'' Desire'' (''Touha'') by

**'' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (''Sen noci svatojanske'') by

Short films * Short Film Palme d'Or: ''

'' (''Motyli zde neziji'') by

*Short film Jury Prize: ** '' New York, New York'' by Francis Thompson ** ''Zmiana warty'' (''The Changing of the Guard'') by Włodzimierz Haupe *Prix spécial du Jury: '' Histoire d'un poisson rouge'' by Edmond Sechan *Short film - Special mention: ''Le petit pecheur de la Mer de Chine'' by Serge Hanin *Short film - Hommage: ''La mer et les jours'' by Alain Kaminker, Raymond Vogel

Independent awards

FIPRESCI *

FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

: **''

'' by

**'' Araya'' by

Commission Supérieure Technique * Technical Grand Prize: '' Honeymoon'' (''Luna de Miel'') by

OCIC Award * ''

'' (''Les Quatre Cents Coups'') by

References

Media

Institut National de l'Audiovisuel: Opening of the 1959 festival
(commentary in French)

(commentary in French)

External links

(web.archive)
Official website Retrospective 1959

Cannes Film Festival Awards for 1959
at

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{Cannes Film Festival Cannes Film Festival, 1959 Cannes Film Festival, 1959

Cannes Film Festival