The 15th Cannes Film Festival inaugurated the International Critics' Week, a parallel section dedicated to debut and sophomore films outside commercial pressures.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 15th Cannes Film Festival
- Dates
- 7–23 May 1962
- Palme d'Or winner
- O Pagador de Promessas (Anselmo Duarte)
- Jury President
- Tetsurō Furukaki (Japan)
- Opening film
- The Lovers of Teruel (Raymond Rouleau)
- Critics' Week
- First edition held in 1962
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, artistic director Robert Favre le Bret, with support from the French Union of Film Critics, resolved to create a parallel section that would highlight emerging directors and resist commercial pressures, planning its launch for the following year.
The 15th Cannes Film Festival ran from 7 to 23 May 1962, with Japanese writer and diplomat Tetsurō Furukaki presiding over the jury. The Palme d'Or was awarded to Brazilian director Anselmo Duarte's O Pagador de Promessas, and the festival opened with Raymond Rouleau's The Lovers of Teruel.
The inaugural International Critics' Week established a lasting parallel section at Cannes devoted to first and second works by directors worldwide, providing a platform for emerging cinematic voices outside the main competition and commercial circuit, a tradition that continued in subsequent editions.
Work
O Pagador de Promessas (Keeper of Promises)
The 15th Cannes Festival saw a Brazilian film win the Palme d'Or for the first time and launched the International Critics' Week, shaping future festival programming toward emerging directors.