# 6th Berlin International Film Festival

The 6th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 June to 3 July 1956. The FIAPF granted the festival the "A status" during this year, which was previously only reserved for Cannes and Venice. The awards for the first time, were given by an international jury.
The Golden Bear was awarded to Invitation to the Dance directed by Gene Kelly. However, this decision by the jury was widely criticized as the film was considered "too shallow" for a Golden Bear. The favourite among many critics was the Finnish entry The Unknown Soldier by Edvin Laine, which was an anti-war film without any illusions based on a novel by Väinö Linna.

## Juries

The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:

### Main Competition

* Marcel Carné, French filmmaker - Jury President
* Bill Luckwell, British producer
* Giuseppe Vittorio Sampieri, Italian director and producer
* Kashiko Kawakita, Japanese special effects director
* Leo J. Horster, American entrepreneur
* Ilse Urbach, West-German author
* Ludwig Berger, West-German filmmaker

### Documentary and Short Film Competitions

* Otto Sonnenfeld, Israeli producer - Jury President
* D. Gualberto Fernández, Uruguayan
* Sarukkai Gopalan, Indian
* Jan Hulsker, Dutch art historian
* Fritz Kempe, West-German photographer

## Official Sections
### Main Competition

The following films were in competition for the Golden Bear awards:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| Autumn Leaves | Autumn Leaves | Robert Aldrich | United States |
| Before Sundown | Vor Sonnenuntergang | Gottfried Reinhardt | West Germany |
| Donatella | Donatella | Mario Monicelli | Italy |
| Invitation to the Dance | Invitation to the Dance | Gene Kelly | United States |
| Kispus | Kispus | Erik Balling | Denmark |
| The Legend of the White Serpent | 白夫人の妖恋 | Shirō Toyoda | Japan |
| The Long Arm | The Long Arm | Charles Frend | United Kingdom |
| Richard III | Richard III | Laurence Olivier | United Kingdom |
| The Road of Life | El camino de la vida | Alfonso Corona Blake | Mexico |
| Scandal in Sorrento | Pane, amore e... | Dino Risi | Italy |
| The Sorceress | La Sorcière | André Michel | France, Sweden |
| Trapeze | Trapeze | Carol Reed | United States |
| Uncle Hyacynth | Mi tío Jacinto | Ladislao Vajda | Spain, Italy |
| The Unknown Soldier | Tuntematon sotilas | Edvin Laine | Finland |

### Documentary and Short Film Competitions

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| The African Lion | The African Lion | James Algar | United States |
| Bambuti | Kein Platz für wilde Tiere | Bernhard Grzimek and Michael Grzimek | West Germany |
| ...erwachsen sein dagegen sehr | ...erwachsen sein dagegen sehr | Wolf Hart | West Germany |
| Ernst Reuter | Ernst Reuter | Wolfgang Kiepenheuer | West Germany |
| Hitit güneşi | Hitit güneşi | Sabahattin Eyüboğlu | Turkey |
| The Long Journey | The Long Journey | Geoffrey Collings | United States |
| Men Against the Arctic | Men Against the Arctic | Winston Hibler | United States |
| Paris la nuit | Paris la nuit | Jacques Baratier and Jean Valère | France |
| Rythmetic | Rythmetic | Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart | Canada |
| Le Sabotier du Val de Loire | Le Sabotier du Val de Loire | Jacques Demy | France |
| Spring Comes to Kashmir | Spring Comes to Kashmir | Ravi Prakash | India |
| Les Très riches heures de l'Afrique romaine | Les Très riches heures de l'Afrique romaine | Jean Lehérissey | France |
| Zauber der Natur | Zauber der Natur | Richard Mostler | West Germany |

## Official Awards

The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:

### Main Competition

* Golden Bear: Invitation to the Dance by Gene Kelly
* Silver Bear for Best Director: Robert Aldrich for Autumn Leaves
* Silver Bear for Best Actress: Elsa Martinelli for Donatella
* Silver Bear for Best Actor: Burt Lancaster for Trapeze
* Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution: André Michel for La Sorcière
* Silver Bear for an Outstanding Single Achievement: Charles Frend for The Long Arm
* Silver Bear: Richard III by Laurence Olivier
** Honourable Mention (Director): The Road of Life by Alfonso Corona Blake
** Honourable Mention (Colour): The Legend of the White Serpent by Shirō Toyoda
** Honourable Mention (Best Humorous Film): Scandal in Sorrento by Dino Risi

### Documentary and Short Film Competitions

* Golden Bear (Documentaries): Bambuti by Bernhard Grzimek and Michael Grzimek
* Silver Bear (Documentaries): The African Lion by James Algar
* Short Film Golden Bear: Paris la nuit by Jacques Baratier and Jean Valère
* Silver Bear for Best Short Film:
** Hitit güneşi by Sabahattin Eyüboğlu
** Spring Comes to Kashmir by Ravi Prakash
** Rythmetic by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart
** Honorable mention (Short Documentary or Cultural Film):
*** ...erwachsen sein dagegen sehr by Wolf Hart
*** Le Sabotier du Val de Loire by Jacques Demy
*** The Long Journey by Geoffrey Collings

## Independent Awards
### OCIC Award

* The Unknown Soldier by Edvin Laine
** Special Mention: The Road of Life by Alfonso Corona Blake

### Audience Vote

* 1st place: Before Sundown by Gottfried Reinhardt
* 2nd place: Uncle Hyacynth by Ladislao Vajda
* 3rd place: Trapeze by Carol Reed