The 15th Cannes Film Festival took place from 7 to 23 May 1962. Japanese writer and diplomat Tetsurà  Furukaki served as jury president for the main competition.
The Palme d'Or went to the O Pagador de Promessas (Keeper of Promises) by Anselmo Duarte.
During the Cannes Film Festival of 1961, Robert Favre le Bret, artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival, with the agreement of the French Union of Film Critics, had decided to establish the International Critics' Week during the next Festival. In 1962, this parallel section of the Festival took place for the first time. Its goal was to showcase first and second works by directors from all over the world, not succumbing to commercial tendencies.
The festival opened with The Lovers of Teruel by Raymond Rouleau.
The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or:
The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:
The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:
The following feature films were selected to be screened for the 1st International Critics' Week (1e Semaine de la Critique):