The 31st Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 30 May 1978. American filmmaker Alan J. Pakula served as jury president for the main competition. Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for tehe drama film The Tree of Wooden Clogs. This festival saw the introduction of a new section, the Un Certain Regard, initially as a non-competitive programme which replaced the Les Yeux Fertiles (1975-1977), L'Air du temps and Le Passé composé sections. The festival opened with A Hunting Accident by Emil Loteanu, and closed with Fedora by Billy Wilder.

Juries

Main Competition

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 feature films were screened for the 17th International Critics' Week (17e Semaine de la Critique):

Directors' Fortnight

The following films were screened for the 1978 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):

Official Awards

In Competition

The following films and people received the 1978 Official selection awards:

Caméra d'Or

Short Film Palme d'Or

Independent awards

FIPRESCI Prize

Commission Supérieure Technique

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

Trivia

Michael Ritchie's 1979 film An Almost Perfect Affair, a romantic comedy starring Keith Carradine and Monica Vitti, features several scenes shot on location in Cannes while the 1978 Festival was taking place. A number of prominent actors, directors and journalists who attended that year made cameo appearances in the film, including Rona Barrett, Farrah Fawcett, Brooke Shields, George Peppard, Paul Mazursky, Sergio Leone, Marco Ferreri, Rex Reed and Edy Williams.

Media