The 12th Cannes Film Festival formalized the Marché du Film and saw Black Orpheus win the Palme d'Or, shaping international film commerce and art.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 12th Cannes Film Festival
- Dates
- 30 April – 15 May 1959
- Palme d'Or Winner
- Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus)
- Jury President
- Marcel Achard
- Opening Film
- The 400 Blows (François Truffaut)
- Marché du Film Founded
- 1959
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
By 1959, the Cannes Film Festival had grown into a major international cultural event attracting studios, distributors, and filmmakers worldwide. Informal film trade had been conducted in cinemas along the rue d'Antibes, and the festival's expanding scale demanded a formal commercial structure to serve industry professionals.
The 12th Cannes Film Festival ran from 30 April to 15 May 1959, with Marcel Achard presiding over the jury. The Palme d'Or was awarded to Marcel Camus's Black Orpheus. The festival opened with François Truffaut's The 400 Blows and closed with George Stevens's The Diary of Anne Frank. Crucially, the Marché du Film was officially established as the festival's commercial arm.
The creation of the Marché du Film transformed Cannes into the world's preeminent film market alongside its artistic competition. French cinema's administrative shift from the Ministry of Industry to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs elevated film as a recognized cultural institution, influencing how national governments approached film policy.
Work
Black Orpheus
The Palme d'Or win for Black Orpheus and the founding of the Marché du Film at the 1959 festival established Cannes as both an artistic and commercial hub for international cinema.