The 9th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1956. The Palme d'Or went to The Silent World by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle. The festival opened with Marie-Antoinette reine de France, directed by Jean Delannoy and closed with Il tetto by Vittorio De Sica. In an effort to resolve some issues caused by the Cold War climate of the time, like special treatment towards Americans (who gave financial assistance to the festival) which displeased the Eastern Bloc, a decision to have films withdrawn under certain conditions had been put in place. This decision in turn had become a divisive issue in the festival, as it was seen as censorship. In 1956 it was decided to eliminate all such censorship from the selection and thereby start a new era in the festival.

Jury

The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1956 competition: Feature films Short films

Feature film competition

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

Short film competition

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

Awards

Official awards

The following films and people received the 1956 awards: Short films

Independent awards

OCIC Award

Media