William Wyler of the most important directors in her career. "Friendly Persuasion" (1956) was awarded the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival. And in 1959, Wyler directed "Ben-Hur", which won 11 Oscars, a feat unequaled until "Titanic" in 1997. He had also assisted in the production of the . Wyler and its star, Charlton Heston, both knew what the film meant for MGM, which had massive investments in its final outcome, with the film's budget having gone from $7 million to $15 million, and the fact that MGM was already in dire financial straits. They were aware that if
1959 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Another important development of that year for the Festival, was that the French cinema moved away from the Ministry of Industry and became part of Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1959 competition: Feature films Short films The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or: The following films and people received the 1959 awards: Short films FIPRESCI Commission Supérieure Technique OCIC Award 1959 Cannes Film Festival The 12th Cannes Film Festival was held from 30 April to 15