Ben-Hur (1959 film) the second highest-grossing film in history at the time after "Gone with the Wind". It won a record 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Wyler), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Heston), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Griffith), and Best Cinematography – Color (Surtees). "Ben-Hur" also won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Stephen Boyd. Today, "Ben-Hur" is widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, and in 1998 the American Film Institute ranked it the 72nd best American film
1959 Cannes Film Festival 1959 Cannes Film Festival The 12th Cannes Film Festival was held from 30 April to 15 May 1959. The Palme d'Or went to the "Orfeu Negro" by Marcel Camus. The festival opened with "Les Quatre Cents Coups", directed by François Truffaut and closed with "The Diary of Anne Frank", directed by George Stevens. In 1959, the Marché du Film (lit. Film Market) was established as the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival, with the aim of helping meet the needs of film industry professionals. Before this year the market was held unofficially in the cinemas of the rue d'Antibes