1991 Cannes Film Festival

The 44th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 May 1991. French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski served as jury president for the main competition.

American filmmakers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the comedy film Barton Fink.

The festival opened with Homicide by David Mamet, and closed with Thelma & Louise by Ridley Scott.

Juries

Main competition

Roman Polanski, French-Polish filmmaker - Jury President
Férid Boughedir, Tunisian filmmaker
Whoopi Goldberg, American actress
Margaret Ménégoz, German-French producer
Natalya Negoda, Soviet actress
Alan Parker, British filmmaker
Jean-Paul Rappeneau, French filmmaker
Hans Dieter Seidel, German film critic
Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer
Vangelis, Greek musician

Camera d'Or

Geraldine Chaplin, American actress - Jury President
Jan Aghed, Swedish journalist
Didier Beaudet, French
Gilles Colpart, French film critic
Roger Kahane, French film director
Fernando Lara, Spanish cinephile
Eva Sirbu, Romanian journalist
Myriam Zemmour, French cinephile

Official selection

In Competition

The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or:

Un Certain Regard

The following films were selected for the Un Certain Regard section:

Out of Competition

The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:

Short Films Competition

The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:

Parallel sections

International Critics' Week

The following films were screened for the 30th International Critics' Week (30e Semaine de la Critique):

Feature film competition

Short film competition

Directors' Fortnight

The following films were screened for the 1991 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):

Short films

Le Caire by Youssef Chahine

Official Awards

In Competition

Palme d'Or: Barton Fink by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Grand Prize of the Jury: La Belle Noiseuse by Jacques Rivette
Best Director: Joel Coen for Barton Fink
Best Actress: Irène Jacob for The Double Life of Veronique
Best Actor: John Turturro for Barton Fink
Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson for Jungle Fever
Jury Prize:
- Europa by Lars von Trier
- Out of Life by Maroun Bagdadi

Caméra d'Or

Toto le Héros by Jaco Van Dormael
- Special Mention:
  - Proof by Jocelyn Moorhouse
  - Sam & Me by Deepa Mehta

Short Film Palme d'Or

With Hands Raised by Mitko Panov
Special Jury Prize: Push Comes to Shove by Bill Plympton

Independent Awards

FIPRESCI Prizes

The Double Life of Veronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski (In competition)
Riff-Raff by Ken Loach (Directors' Fortnight)

Commission Supérieure Technique

Technical Grand Prize: Lars von Trier for Europa

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

The Double Life of Veronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Special Mention:
  - Jungle Fever by Spike Lee
  - La Belle Noiseuse by Jacques Rivette