1989 Cannes Film Festival: History and Background

The 42nd Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 23 May 1989. West German filmmaker Wim Wenders served as jury president for the main competition.

American filmmaker Steven Soderbergh won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for his debut film Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

During the 1989 festival, the first Cinéma & liberté forum was held with the participation of a hundred famous directors from various countries. They discussed about the freedom of expression and signed a declaration protesting against all forms of censorship still existing in the world.

The festival opened with New York Stories, an anthology film by Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and closed with Old Gringo by Luis Puenzo.

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