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
Cannes Film Festival appointed Honorary President in 2000, and in 2002, the Festival officially adopted the name "Festival de Cannes". During the 2000s, the Festival started focusing more on the technological advances taking place in the film world, especially the digital techniques. In 2004 the restored historical films of the Festival were presented as "Cannes Classics", which included documentaries. In 2007 Thierry Frémaux became General Delegate. In 2009 he extended the Festival in Buenos Aires, as "La Semana de Cine del Festival de Cannes", and in 2010 he created the "Cannes Court Métrage" for the Short Film competition. Festival Director Thierry Fremaux is