The 14th Cannes Film Festival took place from 3 to 18 May 1961. French writer Jean Giono served as jury president for the main competition.
The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to The Long Absence by Henri Colpi and Viridiana by Luis Buñuel.
The festival also screened Shirley Clarke's debut film The Connection, due to the efforts of the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. The success of the film caused the festival to create International Critics' Week the following year.
The festival opened with The Joy of Living by René Clément.
Jury
Main Competition Jean Giono, French writer - Jury President Sergei Yutkevich, Soviet filmmaker - Jury Vice President Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican actor Luigi Chiarini, Italian filmmaker Tonino Delli Colli, Italian cinematographer Claude Mauriac, French writer and journalist Édouard Molinaro, French filmmaker Jean Paulhan, French writer Raoul Ploquin, French writer and producer Liselotte Pulver, Swiss actress Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American filmmaker
Short Films Competition Ion Popescu-Gopo, Romanian artist- Jury President Pierre Prévert, French Jurgen Schildt, Swedish journalist Jean Vidal, French Jean Vivie, French CST official
Official Selection
Main Competition The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryThe BruteDúvadZoltán FábriHungaryChronicle of Flaming YearsПовесть пламенных летYuliya SolntsevaSoviet UnionThe CossacksКазакиVasili ProninDarcleeMihai IacobRomaniaThe First Mass A Primeira MissaLima BarretoBrazilThe Fourteenth DayДан четрнаестиZdravko VelimirovićYugoslaviaGirl with a SuitcaseLa Ragazza con la valigiaValerio ZurliniItaly, FranceGoodbye AgainAimez-vous Brahms?Anatole LitvakUnited States, FranceThe Hand in the TrapLa Mano en la trampaLeopoldo Torre NilssonArgentinaHer BrotherおとうとKon IchikawaJapanThe Hoodlum PriestIrvin KershnerUnited StatesI Like Mikeאיי לייק מייקPeter FryeIsraelThe Joy of Living (opening film)Che gioia vivereRené ClémentItaly, FranceThe JudgeDomarenAlf SjöbergSwedenThe KnifeHet MesFons RademakersNetherlandsThe Last WitnessDer Letzte ZeugeWolfgang StaudteWest GermanyThe Long AbsenceUne aussi longue absenceHenri ColpiFranceThe LovemakersLa ViacciaMauro BologniniItalyMadalenaΜανταλέναDinos DimopoulosGreeceThe MarkGuy GreenUnited KingdomMother Joan of the AngelsMatka Joanna od aniolówJerzy KawalerowiczPolandThe Passionate DemonsLineNils Reinhardt ChristensenNorwayPlein sudGaston De GerlacheBelgiumA Raisin in the SunDaniel PetrieUnited StatesSky Above and Mud BeneathLe Ciel et la bouePierre-Dominique GaisseauFranceA Song About the Gray PigeonPieseň o sivom holuboviStanislav BarabášCzechoslovakiaThat Forward Center Died at DawnEl Centroforward murió al amanecerRené MugicaArgentinaTwo WomenLa CiociaraVittorio De SicaItaly, FranceViridianaLuis BuñuelSpain, MexicoThe WastrelIl RelittoMichael CacoyannisItaly, Cyprus
Out of Competition The following film was selected to be screened out of competition: Exodus by Otto Preminger
Short Films Competition The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:
Aicha by Noureddine Mechri and Francis Warin Argentina paraiso de la pesca by Antonio Ber Ciani The Art of Lee Hsiang-Fen by Henry T.C. Wang Balgarski ansambal za narodni pesni i tanzi by Lada Boyadjieva The Black Cat by Robert Braverman Cattle Ranch by Guy L. Coté Children of the Sun by John Hubley and Faith Hubley The Creation of Woman by Charles F. Schwep Cyrus le grand by Feri Farzaneh The Do-It-Yourself Cartoon Kit Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross by Leonid Gaidai Fantazie pro levou ruku a lidske svedomi by Pavel Hobl Le Festival de Baalbeck 1960 by David McDonald Folkwangschulen by Herbert Vesely Foroyar by Jørgen Roos Fuego en Castilla (Tactilvisión del páramo del espanto) by José Val del Omar Giovedi: passeggiata by Vincenzo Gamna Gorod bolshoy sudby by Ilya Kopalin House of Hashimoto by Connie Rasinski Hudozhnikat Zlatyu Boyadzhiev by Ivan Popov Kangra et kulu by N.S. Thapa Na vez by Branko Kalacic Nebbia by Raffaele Andreassi Paul Valéry by Roger Leenhardt Párbaj by Gyula Macskássy La Petite Cuillère by Carlos Vilardebó Robert Frost by Sidney J. Stiber Souvenirs from Sweden by Henning Carlsen Taketori Monogatari by Kazuhiko Watanabe W kręgu ciszy by Jerzy Ziarnik
Official Awards Main Competition Palme d'Or: The Long Absence by Henri Colpi Viridiana by Luis Buñuel Prix spécial du Jury: Mother Joan of the Angels by Jerzy Kawalerowicz Best Director: Yuliya Solntseva for Chronicle of Flaming Years Best Actress: Sophia Loren for Two Women Best Actor: Anthony Perkins for Goodbye Again
Short Films Competition Short Film Palme d'Or: La Petite Cuillère by Carlos Vilardebó Jury Prize - Best Short Film: Párbaj by Gyula Macskássy Short film Technical Prize - Special mention: Folkwangschulen by Herbert Vesely Fuego en Castilla by José Val del Omar
Independent Awards
FIPRESCI Prize The Hand in the Trap by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson Chronicle of a Summer by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch
Commission Supérieure Technique Technical Grand Prize - Feature film Special Mention: Her Brother by Kon Ichikawa Chronicle of Flaming Years by Yuliya Solntseva
OCIC Award The Hoodlum Priest by Irvin Kershner
Other Awards Gary Cooper Award: A Raisin in the Sun by Daniel Petrie
References
Media Institut National de l'Audiovisuel: Opening of the 1961 festival (commentary in French) INA: Eventful climbing of the steps at the 1961 Cannes Festival (commentary in French) INA: Sidney Poitier on the question of race (1961) (commentary in French)
External links 1961 Cannes Film Festival (web.archive) Official website Retrospective 1961 Cannes Film Festival:1961 at Internet Movie Database