17th Venice International Film Festival

The 17th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 28 August to 9 September 1956.

No Golden Lion was awarded, the international jury was unable to decide the winner, after a tie in the voting between The Burmese Harp and Calle Mayor, the award was declared void for the first (and only) time ever.

Jury

• John Grierson, British filmmaker - Jury President
• André Bazin, French film critic
• G.B. Cavallaro, Italian film critic
• Fridrikh Ermler, Soviet filmmaker and actor
• James Quinn, British producer and exhibitor
• Kiyohiko Ushihara, Japanese filmmaker
• Luchino Visconti, Italian filmmaker

Official Sections

The following films were selected to be screened:

Main Competition

Out of Competition

Official Awards

Main Competition

• Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Bourvil for La Traversée de Paris
• Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Maria Schell for Gervaise
• Special Mentions:
• Street of Shame by Kenji Mizoguchi
• Heinz Rühmann for The Captain from Köpenick
• Anna Magnani for The Awakening
• Franco Bernetti, Mario Craveri, Ubaldo Marelli, Giovanni Raffaldi for Empire in the Sun
• Torero! by Carlos Velo
• The Immortal Garrison by Zakhar Agranenko & Eduard Tisse
• Betsy Blair for Calle Mayor
• The Burmese Harp by Kon Ichikawa
• Calle Mayor by Juan Antonio Bardem

Independent Awards

New Cinema Award

• Best Film: Calle Mayor by Juan Antonio Bardem
• Best Actor: Heinz Rühmann for The Captain from Köpenick
• Best Actress: Maria Schell for Gervaise

San Giorgio Prize

• The Burmese Harp by Kon Ichikawa

FIPRESCI Prize

• Calle Mayor by Juan Antonio Bardem
• Gervaise by René Clément

OCIC Award

• Calabuch by Luis García Berlanga
• Honorable Mention: The Burmese Harp by Kon Ichikawa

Pasinetti Award

• Attack by Robert Aldrich

References

External links

• Venice Film Festival 1956 Awards on IMDb