28th Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1955
The 28th Academy Awards honored 1955 films, notable for Marty winning Best Picture as the shortest film and second Palme d'Or crossover winner.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 21, 1956
- Venue
- RKO Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles
- Best Picture winner
- Marty (1955)
- Marty runtime
- 90 minutes — shortest Best Picture winner
- Host
- Jerry Lewis (replacing Bob Hope)
- Best Foreign Language Film
- Final year as Special/Honorary award
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences convenes to recognize outstanding achievement in filmmaking. The 1955 film year produced notable contenders, with Marty — a low-budget drama adapted from a Paddy Chayefsky teleplay — having already earned the Palme d'Or at Cannes, drawing significant awards attention.
The 28th Academy Awards ceremony took place on March 21, 1956, at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Jerry Lewis. Marty won Best Picture, becoming the shortest film ever to claim that honor and only the second to have also won the Palme d'Or. Grace Kelly attended as a presenter shortly before retiring from acting to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Marty's success elevated prestige for modestly budgeted, character-driven films. The ceremony marked the final year Best Foreign Language Film was presented as a Special/Honorary award; from the 29th Academy Awards onward it became a fully competitive category, broadening international cinema's recognition within the Academy's formal structure.