The 32nd Cannes Film Festival took place from 10 to 24 May 1979. French writer Françoise Sagan served as jury president for the main competition.
The Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, was jointly awarded to Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola (screened as a work in progress), and The Tin Drum by Volker Schlöndorff.
Sagan, raised a controversy as she complained about Robert Favre Le Bret, director of the festival, pressure on the jury for the choice of Coppola's film, while she had chosen Schlöndorff's film.
The festival opened with Hair by Miloš Forman, and closed with An Adventure for Two by Claude Lelouch. Jury
Main Competition Françoise Sagan, French writer - Jury President Sergio Amidei, Italian writer Rodolphe-Maurice Arlaud, Swiss Luis García Berlanga, Spanish filmmaker Maurice Bessy, French Paul Claudon, French producer Jules Dassin, American filmmaker Zsolt Kézdi-Kovács, Hungarian filmmaker Robert Rozhdestvensky, Soviet author Susannah York, British actress
Official selection In Competition The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryApocalypse NowFrancis Ford CoppolaUnited StatesThe Brontë SistersLes Sœurs BrontëAndré TéchinéFranceThe China SyndromeJames BridgesUnited StatesDays of HeavenTerrence MalickDear FatherCaro papàDino RisiItalyThe EuropeansJames IvoryUnited KingdomHungarian RhapsodyMagyar rapszódiaMiklós JancsóHungaryThe HussyLa drôlesseJacques DoillonFranceMy Brilliant CareerGillian ArmstrongAustraliaNext of KinArvenAnja BreienNorwayNorma RaeMartin RittUnited StatesOccupation in 26 PicturesOkupacija u 26 slikaLordan ZafranovićYugoslaviaSérie noireAlain CorneauFranceSiberiadeСибириадаAndrei KonchalovskySoviet UnionThe SurvivorsLos sobrevivientesTomás Gutiérrez AleaCubaThe Tin DrumDie BlechtrommelVolker SchlöndorffWest Germany, France, Yugoslavia, PolandTraffic JamL'ingorgo - Una storia impossibileLuigi ComenciniItalyVictoriaBo WiderbergSweden, West GermanyWithout AnesthesiaBez znieczuleniaAndrzej WajdaPolandWoman Between Wolf and DogEen vrouw tussen hond en wolfAndré DelvauxBelgium, FranceWoyzeckWerner HerzogWest Germany
Un Certain Regard The following films were selected for the Un Certain Regard section: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryCome and WorkFad'jalSafi FayeSenegalCompanys, procés a CatalunyaCompanys, proceso a CataluñaJosep Maria FornSpainEncore un Hiver (short)Françoise SaganFranceFrom the Clouds to the ResistanceDalla nube alla resistenzaJean-Marie Straub and Danièle HuilletItalyMomentsרגעיםMichal Bat-AdamIsrael, FranceA Nice NeighborA kedves szomszédZsolt Kézdi-KovácsHungaryLes petites fuguesYves YersinSwitzerlandPrintemps en FévrierShei TieliChinaA Scream from SilenceMourir à tue-têteAnne Claire PoirierCanadaSpirit of the WindRalph LiddleUnited StatesThe Third GenerationDie dritte GenerationRainer Werner FassbinderWest GermanyWard SixPaviljon VILucian PintilieYugoslavia
Out of Competition The following films were selected to be screened out of competition: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryChrist Stopped at EboliCristo si è fermato a EboliFrancesco RosiItaly, FranceHair (opening film)Miloš FormanUnited States, West GermanyManhattanWoody AllenUnited StatesLe Musee du LouvreToshio UrutaJapanOrchestra RehearsalProva d'orchestraFederico FelliniItaly, West GermanyAn Adventure for Two (closing film)À nous deuxClaude LelouchFrance, CanadaWise BloodJohn HustonUnited States, West Germany
Short Films Competition The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:
Barbe bleue by Olivier Gillon Bum by Břetislav Pojar La Dame de Monte Carlo by Dominique Delouche La Festa dels bojos by Lluis Racionero Grau Harpya by Raoul Servais Helping Hand by John P. Taylor, Zlatko Pavlinovic Le Mur by Jan January Janczak Petite histoire un peu triste by Didier Pourcel Põld by Rein Raamat The Waltzing Policemen by Kerry Feltham Zwei Frauen in der Oper by Christian Veit-Attendorff
Parallel sections International Critics' Week The following feature films were screened for the 18th International Critics' Week (18e Semaine de la Critique):
by (Bulgaria) Fremd bin ich eingezogen by Titus Leber (Austria) Jun by Hiroto Yokoyama (Japan) Northern Lights by John Hanson, Rob Nilsson (United States) La Rabi by Eugeni Anglada (Spain) Les Servantes du bon dieu by Diane Létourneau (Canada) The Tall Shadows of the Wind (Sayehaye bolande bad) by Bahman Farmanara (Iran)
Directors' Fortnight The following films were screened for the 1979 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):
Angi Vera by Pal Gabor Bastien, Bastienne by Michel Andrieu Black Jack by Ken Loach Caniche by Bigas Luna Chrissomaloussa by Tony Lycouressis Cronica de um Industrial by Luis Rosemberg Julio Begins in July (Julio Comienza en Julio) by Silvio Caiozzi The Management Forgives a Moment of Madness (La empresa perdona un momento de locura) by Mauricio Walerstein La Mémoire Courte by Eduardo de Gregorio Nighthawks by Ron Peck Old Boyfriends by Joan Tewkesbury Five Evenings (Пять вечеров, Piats Vetcherov) by Nikita Mikhalkov Rockers by Theodoros Bafaloukos Those Wonderful Movie Cranks (Báječní muži s klikou) by Jiri Menzel Tiro by Jacob Bijl To Be Sixteen (Avoir 16 ans) by Jean Pierre Lefebvre Zmory (Nightmares) by Wojciech Marczewski
Short films
Combattimento by Anna Kendall Idila by Aleksandar Ilić Panoplie by Philippe Gaucherand Romance by Yves Thomas Vereda Tropical by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade
Official Awards
Main Competition The following films and people received the 1979 Official selection awards: Palme d'Or: Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola The Tin Drum by Volker Schlöndorff Grand Prix: Siberiade by Andrei Konchalovsky Best Director: Terrence Malick for Days of Heaven Best Actress: Sally Field for Norma Rae Best Actor: Jack Lemmon for The China Syndrome Best Supporting Actress: Eva Mattes for Woyzeck Best Supporting Actor: Stefano Madia for Dear Father Honorary Award: Hommage à Miklós Jancsó
Caméra d'Or Northern Lights by John Hanson and Rob Nilsson
Short Film Palme d'Or Harpya by Raoul Servais Jury Prize - animation: Bum by Břetislav Pojar Jury Prize - fiction: La Festa dels bojos by Lluis Racionero Grau
Independent Awards
FIPRESCI Prizes Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola (In competition) Black Jack by Ken Loach (Directors' Fortnight) Angi Vera by Pál Gábor (Directors' Fortnight)
Commission Supérieure Technique Technical Grand Prize: Norma Rae by Martin Ritt
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Without Anesthesia by Andrzej Wajda Special Mention: Arven by Anja Breien
Young Cinema Award Prix du jeune cinéma: The Hussy by Jacques Doillon References
Media INA: Selection of the 1979 Festival (commentary in French) INA: Lauren Bacall and Yves Montand special guests at the opening gala 1979 (commentary in French)
External links
1979 Cannes Film Festival (web.archive) Official website Retrospective 1979 Cannes Film Festival Awards for 1979 at Internet Movie Database