# 1st Moscow International Film Festival

The 1st Moscow International Film Festival was held from 3 to 17 August 1959. The Grand Prix was awarded to the Soviet film Destiny of a Man directed by Sergei Bondarchuk.

## Jury

* Sergei Gerasimov (USSR - President of the Jury)
* Antonin Brousil (Czechoslovakia)
* Emma Väänänen (Finland)
* Thorold Dickinson (Great Britain)
* Christian-Jaque (France)
* Kálmán Nádasdy (Hungary)
* Hans Rodenberg (East Germany)
* Bimal Roy (India)
* Henri Storck (Belgium)
* Jerzy Toeplitz (Poland)
* Kiyohiko Ushihara (Japan)
* Zhang Junxiang (China)
* Sergei Yutkevich (USSR)

## Films in competition

The following films were selected for the main competition:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Escape from the Shadows | Útek ze stínu | Jiří Sequens | Czechoslovakia |
| Yesterday | Tegnap | Márton Keleti | Hungary |
| For Whom the Sun Rises | Liman tashrouk al chams | Joseph Fahdi | Lebanon |
| The Diary of Anne Frank | — | George Stevens | United States |
| India: Matri Bhumi | India | Roberto Rossellini | Italy, France |
| Red Line | Punainen viiva | Matti Kassila | Finland |
| That Won't Keep a Sailor Down | Das haut einen Seemann doch nicht um | Arthur Maria Rabenalt | West Germany, Denmark |
| Jalsaghar | Jalsaghar | Satyajit Ray | India |
| Aren't We Wonderful? | Wir Wunderkinder | Kurt Hoffmann | West Germany |
| The Ball | Mingea | Andrei Blaier, Sinisa Ivetici | Romania |
| On the Side of One River | Chung một dòng sông | Nguyễn Hồng Nghi, Phạm Hiếu Dân | North Vietnam |
| Forever Yours | حب للأبد | Youssef Chahine | Egypt |
| The Day Shall Dawn | — | A. J. Kardar | Pakistan, United Kingdom |
| Hambre nuestra de cada día | Hambre nuestra de cada dia | Rogelio A. González | Mexico |
| Unforgettable Trail | Itsuka kita michi | Koji Shima | Japan |
| Die unvollkommene Ehe | Die unvollkommene Ehe | Robert A. Stemmle | Austria |
| New Story of the Old Soldier | — | Shen Fu | China |
| Cara de Fogo | — | Galileu Garcia | Brazil |
| The Eagle | Orzel | Leonard Buczkowski | Poland |
| The Sailor's Song | Das Lied der Matrosen | Kurt Maetzig, Günter Reisch | East Germany |
| Summer Place Wanted | Sommarnöje sökes | Hasse Ekman | Sweden |
| Messenger of the People | Ardyn elch | Dejidiin Jigjid | Mongolia |
| The Verdict | La sentence | Jean Valère | France |
| Said effendi | سعيد أفندي | Kameran Husni | Iraq |
| Legend of Chunhyang | Chunhyangdyun | Yun Ryon Gyu | North Korea |
| The Sky Through the Trees | Kroz granje nebo | Stole Janković | Yugoslavia |
| A Cry from the Streets | — | Lewis Gilbert | United Kingdom |
| Destiny of a Man | Sudba cheloveka | Sergei Bondarchuk | Soviet Union |
| Tana | Tana | Kristaq Dhamo | Albania |
| Fanfare | — | Bert Haanstra | Netherlands |

## Awards

* Grand Prix: Destiny of a Man by Sergei Bondarchuk
* Golden Medals:
** Aren't We Wonderful? by Kurt Hoffmann
** The Day Shall Dawn by A. J. Kardar
** Escape from the Shadows by Jiří Sequens
* Silver Medals:
** Actors: Wieńczysław Gliński, Bronisław Pawlik and Aleksander Sewruk for The Eagle
** Actress: Pureviin Tsevelsuren for Messenger of the People
** Director of Photography: Un Thak for Legend of Chunhyang
** Composer: Ustad Vilayat Khan for Jalsaghar
** Director: Lewis Gilbert for A Cry from the Streets
* Diplomas:
** Koji Shima for Unforgettable Trail
** Jean Valère for The Verdict