The 44th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 May 1991. French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski served as jury president for the main competition.
American filmmakers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the comedy film Barton Fink.
The festival opened with Homicide by David Mamet, and closed with Thelma & Louise by Ridley Scott.
Juries
Main competition Roman Polanski, French-Polish filmmaker - Jury President Férid Boughedir, Tunisian filmmaker Whoopi Goldberg, American actress Margaret Ménégoz, German-French producer Natalya Negoda, Soviet actress Alan Parker, British filmmaker Jean-Paul Rappeneau, French filmmaker Hans Dieter Seidel, German film critic Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer Vangelis, Greek musician
Camera d'Or Geraldine Chaplin, American actress - Jury President Jan Aghed, Swedish journalist Didier Beaudet, French Gilles Colpart, French film critic Roger Kahane, French film director Fernando Lara, Spanish cinephile Eva Sirbu, Romanian journalist Myriam Zemmour, French cinephile
Official selection In Competition The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: English title Original title Director(s) Production CountryThe Assassin of the TsarЦареубийца Karen Shakhnazarov Soviet UnionAnna KaramazoffАнна Карамазофф Rustam Khamdamov Barton Fink Joel Coen and Ethan Coen United StatesLa Belle Noiseuse Jacques Rivette France, SwitzerlandBix Pupi Avati ItalyCold MoonLune froide Patrick Bouchitey FranceThe Double Life of VeroniqueLa double vie de Véronique Krzysztof Kieślowski Poland, France, NorwayEuropa Lars von Trier Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, SwitzerlandThe FleshLa carne Marco Ferreri ItalyGuilty by Suspicion Irwin Winkler United States, FranceHomicide (opening film) David Mamet United StatesJungle Fever Spike Lee Life on a String 边走边唱 Chen Kaige ChinaMalina Werner Schroeter Germany, AustriaOut of LifeHors la vie Maroun Bagdadi FranceA Rage in Harlem Bill Duke United StatesThe Suspended Step of the StorkΤο Mετέωρο Bήμα Tου Πελαργού Theo Angelopoulos GreeceVan Gogh Maurice Pialat FranceThe Yes ManIl portaborse Daniele Luchetti Italy
Un Certain Regard The following films were selected for the Un Certain Regard section: {| class="wikitable" width="95%" |- ! width="27%" | English title ! width="25%" | Original title ! width="23%" | Director(s) ! width="25%" | Production Country |- | colspan="2" data-sort-value="Assassin" |Boyz n the Hood |John Singleton |United States |- |Burial of a Potato |Pogrzeb kartofla |Jan Jakub Kolski |Poland |- |A Captive in the Land |Пленник земли |John Berry |Soviet Union, United States |- |The Chosen One |Ishanou |Aribam Syam Sharma |India |- |Comrade Chkalov Crosses the North Pole |Переход товарища Чкалова через Северный полюс |Maksim Pezhemsky |Soviet Union |- | colspan="2" |L'entraînement du champion avant la course |Bernard Favre |France |- |Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema |Ucieczka z kina 'Wolność|Wojciech Marczewski |Poland |- |Fire! |Ta Dona |Adama Drabo |Mali |- |Friends, Comrades |Ystävät, toverit |Rauni Mollberg |Finland |- | colspan="2" |Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse |Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper |United States |- | colspan="2" |Holidays on the River Yarra |Leo Berkeley |Australia |- |In the Alleys of Love |در کوچههای عشق |Khosrow Sinai |Iran |- | colspan="2" |Lebewohl, Fremde |Tevfik Başer |Germany |- |Paths of Death and Angels |Halálutak és angyalok |Zoltán Kamondi |Hungary |- |Revenge |Месть |Yermek Shinarbayev |Soviet Union |- |The Tradition |Laada |Drissa Toure |Burkina Faso |- | colspan="2" |Sango Malo |Bassek Ba Kobhio |Cameroon, Burkina Faso |- |Treasure Island |L'île au trésor |Raúl Ruiz |United Kingdom, France, United States |- |Woman of the Port |La mujer del puerto |Arturo Ripstein |Mexico |- |Yumeji |夢二 |Seijun Suzuki |Japan
Out of Competition The following films were selected to be screened out of competition: English title Original title Director(s) Production CountryLe film du cinéma suisseMichel Soutter and Jean-François AmiguetSwitzerlandJacquot de NantesAgnès VardaFranceLife StinksMel BrooksUnited StatesMadonna: Truth or DareAlek KeshishianProspero's BooksPeter GreenawayUnited Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Italy, JapanRhapsody in August八月の狂詩曲Akira KurosawaJapanThelma & Louise (closing film)Ridley ScottUnited States
Short Films Competition The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:
Broken Skin by Anna Campion Casino by Gil Bauwens Les éffaceurs by Gérald Frydman Ja, Wałęsa by Jacek Skalski Mal de blocs by Marc Saint-Pierre, Nathalie Saint-Gelais La Noce by Régis Obadia, Joëlle Bouvier Nokturno by Nikola Majdak Push Comes to Shove by Bill Plympton La vie selon Luc by Jean-Paul Civeyrac W.A.L. by Robert Turlo With Hands Raised (Z podniesionymi rekami) by Mitko Panov
Parallel sections International Critics' Week The following films were screened for the 30th International Critics' Week (30e Semaine de la Critique):Feature film competition Diabły, diabły by Dorota Kędzierzawska (Poland) Laafi - Tout va bien by S. Pierre Yameogo (Burkina Faso) Liquid Dreams by Mark S. Manos (United States) Robert's Movie by Canan Gerede (Turkey) Sam & Me by Deepa Mehta (Canada) Trumpet Number 7 by Adrian Velicescu (United States) La Vie des morts by Arnaud Desplechin (France) Young Soul Rebels by Isaac Julien (United Kingdom)Short film competition Carne by Gaspar Noé (France) Die mysreriosen lebenslinien by David Rühm (Austria) Livraison à domicile by Claude Philippot (France) A Nice Arrangement by Gurinder Chadha (United Kingdom) Once Upon a Time by Kristian Petri (Sweden) Petit drame dans la vie d’une femme by Andrée Pelletier (Canada) Une Symphonie du havre by Barbara Doran (Canada)
Directors' Fortnight The following films were screened for the 1991 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):
The Adjuster by Atom Egoyan Annabelle partagée by Francesca Comencini The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez by Peter Sellars Chichkhan by Fadhel Jaïbi, M. Ben Mahmoud Danzón by Maria Novaro O Drapetis by Lefteris Xanthopoulos És mégis... by Zsolt Kézdi-Kovács An Imaginary Tale (Une histoire inventée) by André Forcier The Indian Runner by Sean Penn Lost In Siberia by Alexander Mitta Ovo Malo Duse by Ademir Kenović Paris Trout by Stephen Gyllenhaal Proof by Jocelyn Moorhouse Adam's Rib by Vyacheslav Krishtofovich Riff-Raff by Ken Loach Toto the Hero (Toto le héros) by Jaco Van Dormael Suffocating Heat (Caldo soffocante) by Giovanna GagliardoShort films Le Caire by Youssef Chahine
Official Awards
In Competition Palme d'Or: Barton Fink by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Grand Prize of the Jury: La Belle Noiseuse by Jacques Rivette Best Director: Joel Coen for Barton Fink Best Actress: Irène Jacob for The Double Life of Veronique Best Actor: John Turturro for Barton FinkBest Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson for Jungle Fever Jury Prize: Europa by Lars von Trier Out of Life by Maroun Bagdadi
Caméra d'Or Toto le Héros by Jaco Van DormaelSpecial Mention: Proof by Jocelyn Moorhouse Sam & Me by Deepa Mehta
Short Film Palme d'Or With Hands Raised by Mitko Panov Special Jury Prize: Push Comes to Shove by Bill Plympton
Independent Awards
FIPRESCI Prizes The Double Life of Veronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski (In competition) Riff-Raff by Ken Loach (Directors' Fortnight)
Commission Supérieure Technique Technical Grand Prize: Lars von Trier for Europa
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury The Double Life of Veronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski Special Mention: Jungle Fever by Spike Lee La Belle Noiseuse by Jacques Rivette
Award of the Youth Foreign Film: Toto le Héros by Jaco Van DormaelFrench Film: Cheb by Rachid Bouchareb
International Critics' Week SACD Award:Best Short: Carne by Gaspar NoéBest Feature''': Young Soul Rebels'' by Isaac Julien
References
Media INA: Robert Mitchum opens the 1991 Festival (commentary in French) INA: List of winners of the 1991 festival (commentary in French)
External links
1991 Cannes Film Festival (web.archive) Official website Retrospective 1991 Cannes Film Festival Awards for 1991 at Internet Movie Database