The 16th Cannes Film Festival took place from 9 to 23 May 1963. French writer Armand Salacrou served as jury president for the main competition.
The Palme d'Or was awarded to The Leopard by Luchino Visconti.
The festival opened with The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock.
Juries
Main Competition Armand Salacrou, French writer - Jury President Rouben Mamoulian, American filmmaker and theatre director - Jury Vice President Jacqueline Audry, French filmmaker Wilfrid Baumgartner, French BDF official François Chavane, French producer and writer Jean de Baroncelli, French film critic Robert Hossein, French actor Kashiko Kawakita, Japanese producer Steven Pallos, British producer Gian Luigi Rondi, Italian writer Rostislav Yurenev, Soviet film critic
Short Films Competition Henri Alekan, French cinematographer - Jury President Robert Alla, French Karl Schedereit, West-German Ahmed Sefrioui, Moroccan writer Semih Tugrul, Turkish journalist
Official selection In Competition The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryLes AbyssesNikos PapatakisFranceAlvorada - Brazil's Changing FaceAlvorada – Aufbruch in BrasilienHugo NiebelingWest GermanyThe CageLa CageRobert DarèneFranceCarom ShotsCarambolagesMarcel BluwalThe Cassandra CatAž přijde kocourVojtěch JasnýCzechoslovakiaCodineHenri ColpiFrance, RomaniaThe Conjugal BedL'ape reginaMarco FerreriItalyA Cozy CottageKertes házak utcájaTamás FejérHungaryEmpress Wu Tse-Tien武則天Li Han-hsiangHong KongThe FiancesI FidanzatiErmanno OlmiItalyFor Those Who Will FollowPour la suite du mondePierre Perrault and Michel BraultCanadaGlory SkyOuranosTakis KanellopoulosGreeceThe Good LoveEl Buen amorFrancisco RegueiroSpainHarakiri切腹Masaki KobayashiJapanHow to Be LovedJak być kochanąWojciech HasPolandThe LeopardIl GattopardoLuchino ViscontiItaly, FranceLike Two Drops of WaterAls twee druppels waterFons RademakersNetherlandsLord of the FliesPeter BrookUnited KingdomOptimistic TragedyОптимистическая трагедияSamson SamsonovSoviet UnionEl Otro CristóbalArmand GattiCubaRat TrapLe Rat d'AmériqueJean-Gabriel AlbicoccoFranceThis Sporting LifeLindsay AndersonUnited KingdomTo Kill a MockingbirdRobert MulliganUnited StatesTobaccoТютюнNikola KorabovBulgariaThe Venerable OnesLos Venerables todosManuel AntínArgentinaWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane?Robert AldrichUnited States
Out of Competition The following films were selected to be screened out of competition: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country8½Otto e mezzoFederico FelliniItaly, FranceThe Birds (opening film)Alfred HitchcockUnited States
Short film competition The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:
A fleur d'eau by Alex Seiler Bouket zvezdi by Radka Batchvarova Citizens Of Tomorrow by Jamie Uys The Critic by Ernest Pintoff Das Grabmal des Kaisers by Istvan V. Szots Di Domenica by Luigi Bazzoni La ferriera abbandonata by Aglauco Casadio Geel by Costia de Renesse Geschwindigkeit by Edgar Reitz Le Haricot by Edmond Sechan Images du ciel - Égypte o Égypte by Jacques Brissot The King's Breakfast by Wendy Toye My Flat (Moj stan) by Zvonimir Berkovic Nakymaton Kasi by Veronica Leo Oslo by Jørgen Roos Playa Insolita by Javier Aguirre Un Prince Belge de l'Europe, Charles Joseph de Ligne by Jacques Kupissonoff Sous le signe de Neptune by A.F. Sulk The Ride by Gerald Potterton You by Istvan Szabo Zeilen by Hattum Hoving Zeleznicari by Evald Schorm
Parallel section International Critics' Week The following feature films were selected to be screened for the 2nd International Critics' Week (2e Semaine de la Critique):
Alone or with Others (Seul ou avec d’autres) by Denys Arcand, Denis Héroux, Stéphane Venne (Canada) Barnvagnen by Bo Widerberg (Sweden) Déjà s'envole la fleur maigre by Paul Meyer (Belgium) Hallelujah the Hills by Adolfas Mekas (United States) Le Joli Mai by Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme (France) Pelle viva by Giuseppe Fina (Italy) Pitfall (Otoshiana) by Hiroshi Teshigahara (Japan) Porto das Caixas by Paulo César Saraceni (Brazil) Showman by Albert Maysles, David Maysles (United States) The Sun in a Net (Slnko v sieti) by Štefan Uher (Czechoslovakia)
Official Awards
Main Competition Palme d'Or: The Leopard by Luchino Visconti Jury Special Prize: The Cassandra Cat by Vojtěch Jasný Harakiri by Masaki Kobayashi Best Screenplay: Dumitru Carabat, Henri Colpi and Yves Jamiaque for Codine Best Actress: Marina Vlady for The Conjugal Bed Best Actor: Richard Harris for This Sporting Life
Short Films Competition Short Film Palme d'Or: Le Haricot by Edmond Séchan In wechselndem Gefälle (A fleur d'eau) by Alexander J. Seiler Jury Prize - Short Film: Moj Stan by Zvonimir Berković Special Mention: Di Domenica by Luigi Bazzoni & You by István Szabó Short Film Technical Prize: Zeilen by Hattum Hoving
Independent Awards
FIPRESCI Prize This Sporting Life by Lindsay Anderson (In competition) Le Joli Mai by Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme (International Critics' Week)
Commission Supérieure Technique Technical Grand Prize: The Cassandra Cat by Vojtěch Jasný Codine by Henri Colpi
OCIC Award The Fiances by Ermanno Olmi
Other awards Gary Cooper Award: To Kill a Mockingbird by Robert Mulligan Best Evocation of a World-Shattering Epic: Optimistic Tragedy by Samson Samsonov
References
Media
British Pathé: Cannes Film Festival 1963 footage British Pathé: Cannes Film Festival 1963 Awards INA: Opening of the 1963 festival (commentary in French) INA: List of award-winners at the 1963 festival (commentary in French)
External links 1963 Cannes Film Festival (web.archive) Official website Retrospective 1963 Cannes Film Festival:1963 at Internet Movie Database