The 4th Cannes Film Festival marked the festival's permanent shift to April, avoiding overlap with Venice, and jointly awarded its top prize for the first time.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 4th Cannes Film Festival
- Dates
- 3 to 20 April 1951
- Jury President
- André Maurois
- Grand Prize Winners
- Miracle in Milan & Miss Julie (joint)
- Hiatus Reason
- Financial difficulties caused one-year break
- Schedule Change
- Moved from September to April
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After a one-year hiatus caused by financial difficulties, the Cannes Film Festival resumed in 1951. Organizers also decided to shift the festival's timing from September to April in order to prevent direct scheduling conflict with the Venice Film Festival, which had long occupied the autumn calendar slot.
The 4th Cannes Film Festival ran from 3 to 20 April 1951, with French author André Maurois presiding over the jury. The Grand Prize of the Festival was jointly awarded to Vittorio De Sica's Miracle in Milan and Alf Sjöberg's Miss Julie. Michèle Morgan, Jean Marais, and Jean Cocteau received the Victoire du cinéma français honor.
By relocating to April, Cannes established a distinct identity on the international film calendar separate from Venice. The joint awarding of the Grand Prize to both an Italian neorealist work and a Swedish literary adaptation signaled the festival's broad, international critical scope, reinforcing its growing prestige in postwar cinema.
Work
4th Cannes Film Festival
The festival resumed after a financial hiatus and permanently shifted to April, awarding its top prize jointly to Vittorio De Sica's Miracle in Milan and Alf Sjöberg's Miss Julie, reflecting its international and pluralistic critical identity.