1979 in film

The year 1979 in film involved many significant events.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1979 released films by North American gross are as follows:

Major events

 * March 2 – Buena Vista release their first film since the advent of U.S. movie ratings to not be G-rated, Take Down.
 * March 5 – Production begins on The Empire Strikes Back.
 * March – Frank Price becomes president of Columbia Pictures.
 * May 25 – Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released.
 * May 31 – The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson's Muppets' first foray into the world of feature-length motion pictures, is released in United Kingdom.
 * June 11 – John Wayne, a famous Western movie actor, dies at the age of 72 from stomach cancer.
 * June 29 – Moonraker, The 11th film in the James Bond franchise is released in the United States and goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide.
 * August 15 – Apocalypse Now is released to worldwide critical acclaim and box office success. Heralded as one of the greatest films ever made to this day.
 * September 19 – Don Bluth and a group of fellow animators resign from The Walt Disney Company's animation department to set up a rival studio, Don Bluth Productions.
 * November 1 – Production begins on Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 * December 7 – Star Trek: The Motion Picture debuts in the United States to mixed reviews but strong box office, launching a film franchise that leads to 9 sequels and 3 reboots over the next 37 years. It also leads to the creation of five spin-off television series based upon Gene Roddenberry's creation.
 * Allied Artists files for bankruptcy.

Awards
Academy Awards:


 * Best Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer – Jaffe, Columbia
 * Best Director: Robert Benton – Kramer vs. Kramer
 * Best Actor: Dustin Hoffman – Kramer vs. Kramer
 * Best Actress: Sally Field – Norma Rae
 * Best Supporting Actor: Melvyn Douglas – Being There
 * Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep – Kramer vs. Kramer
 * Best Foreign Language Film: The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, W. Germany

Golden Globe Awards:


 * Drama:
 * Best Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
 * Best Actor: Dustin Hoffman – Kramer vs. Kramer
 * Best Actress: Sally Field – Norma Rae


 * Comedy or Musical:
 * Best Picture: Breaking Away
 * Best Actor: Peter Sellers – Being There
 * Best Actress: Bette Midler – The Rose


 * Other
 * Best Supporting Actor (tie): Melvyn Douglas – Being There
 * Best Supporting Actor (tie): Robert Duvall – Apocalypse Now
 * Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep – Kramer vs. Kramer
 * Best Director: Francis Ford Coppola – Apocalypse Now
 * Best Foreign Language Film: La Cage aux Folles (France)

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
 * Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, United States
 * The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, W. Germany

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
 * David, directed by Peter Lilienthal, West Germany

Notable films released in 1979
U.S.A. unless stated

#
 * 10, directed by Blake Edwards, starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber, Brian Dennehy
 * 1941, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Nancy Allen, Toshiro Mifune, Treat Williams, Warren Oates, Robert Stack

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ
 * The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians (Artista, dolarii şi ardelenii) – (Romania)
 * L'adolescente (The Adolescent), directed by Jeanne Moreau, starring Simone Signoret – (France)
 * The Adventure of Sudsakorn, the first and only cel-animated feature film from Thailand
 * Adventures of Sinbad
 * Agatha, directed by Michael Apted, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman – (U.K.)
 * Ah! Nomugi Toge (Nomugi Pass) – (Japan)
 * Air Crew (Ekipazh) – (U.S.S.R.)
 * Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto – (U.S.A./U.K.)
 * All Quiet on the Western Front, a TV film directed by Delbert Mann, starring Richard Thomas and Ernest Borgnine
 * All That Jazz, directed by Bob Fosse, starring Roy Scheider, Ann Reinking, Ben Vereen, John Lithgow, Jessica Lange
 * An Almost Perfect Affair, starring Keith Carradine and Monica Vitti
 * Americathon, starring John Ritter and Harvey Korman
 * The Amityville Horror, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger
 * ...And Justice for All, directed by Norman Jewison, starring Al Pacino, John Forsythe, Jack Warden, Christine Lahti, Craig T. Nelson, Jeffrey Tambor
 * Anti-Clock, directed by Jane Arden – (U.K.)
 * Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, Frederic Forrest
 * The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway
 * Arabian Adventure, starring Christopher Lee and Emma Samms – (U.K.)
 * Ashanti, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Michael Caine and Peter Ustinov
 * Autumn Marathon (Osenniy marafon) – (U.S.S.R.)
 * Baby Snakes, directed by Frank Zappa
 * Ball Lightning (Kulový blesk) – (Czechoslovakia)
 * Ballad of Tara (Tcherike-ye Tara) – (Iran)
 * Bear Island, starring Donald Sutherland, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark, Barbara Parkins
 * Being There, directed by Hal Ashby, starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden
 * The Bell Jar, starring Marilyn Hassett, Julie Harris, Anne Jackson
 * Best Boy, award-winning documentary
 * Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, directed by Irwin Allen, starring Michael Caine, Telly Savalas, Sally Field, Karl Malden, Shirley Jones
 * Birth of the Beatles, directed by Richard Marquand
 * The Bitch, starring Joan Collins – (U.K.)
 * The Black Hole, directed by Gary Nelson, starring Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, Yvette Mimieux
 * The Black Stallion, directed by Carroll Ballard, starring Mickey Rooney, Hoyt Axton, Teri Garr, Kelly Reno
 * Bloodline, directed by Terence Young, starring Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, James Mason, Gert Fröbe, Beatrice Straight
 * Bloody Kids, directed by Stephen Frears – (U.K.)
 * Boardwalk, starring Ruth Gordon, Lee Strasberg, Janet Leigh
 * Boulevard Nights, directed by Michael Pressman
 * Breaking Away, directed by Peter Yates, starring Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Paul Dooley
 * Breakthrough, starring Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger, Curd Jürgens
 * Les Bronzés font du ski (a.k.a. French Fried Vacation 2), directed by Patrice Leconte – (France)
 * The Brood, directed by David Cronenberg, starring Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar – (Canada)
 * Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray
 * Buffet froid, directed by Bertrand Blier, starring Gérard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet – (France)
 * The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
 * Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, starring Tom Berenger and William Katt
 * The Butterfly Murders (Die bian), directed by Tsui Hark – (Hong Kong)
 * Bye Bye Brazil – (Brazil/France/Argentina)
 * C.H.O.M.P.S., directed by Don Chaffey, starring Wesley Eure, Valerie Bertinelli, Conrad Bain, Red Buttons
 * California Dreaming, starring Glynnis O'Connor, Dennis Christopher, Tanya Roberts
 * Caligula, directed by Tinto Brass, written by Gore Vidal, starring Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole – (Italy/U.S.A.)
 * Camera Buff. directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski – (Poland)
 * The Castle of Cagliostro (Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro), an anime film by Hayao Miyazaki – (Japan)
 * The Cat and the Canary, starring Honor Blackman, Carol Lynley, Olivia Hussey – (U.K.)
 * The Champ, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, Ricky Schroder, Jack Warden, Arthur Hill
 * Chapter Two, starring James Caan, Marsha Mason, Joseph Bologna, Valerie Harper
 * The China Syndrome, directed by James Bridges, starring Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas
 * Christ Stopped at Eboli (Cristo si è fermato a Eboli), directed by Francesco Rosi, starring Gian Maria Volonté – (Italy/France)
 * City on Fire, starring Susan Clark and Ava Gardner
 * The Concorde ... Airport '79, starring Alain Delon, Susan Blakely, Robert Wagner, George Kennedy
 * Cuba, directed by Richard Lester, starring Sean Connery, Brooke Adams, Chris Sarandon
 * David – (West Germany) – Golden Bear winner
 * Derek and Clive Get the Horn, starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore – (U.K.)
 * Dirty Ho (Lan tou He), starring Gordon Liu – (Hong Kong)
 * Don Giovanni, directed by Joseph Losey, starring Ruggero Raimondi, John Macurdy, Kiri Te Kanawa – (Italy/France/U.K./West Germany)
 * Dracula, directed by John Badham, starring Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Trevor Eve – (U.S.A./U.K.)
 * Dreamer, starring Tim Matheson
 * Eagle's Wing, starring Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston – (U.K.)
 * The Electric Horseman, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Valerie Perrine, John Saxon, Willie Nelson
 * Escape from Alcatraz, directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Fred Ward
 * Escape to Athena, starring Roger Moore, David Niven, Elliott Gould, Stefanie Powers, Claudia Cardinale, Telly Savalas – (U.K.)
 * The Europeans, directed by James Ivory, starring Lee Remick, Lisa Eichhorn, Kristin Griffith – (U.K.)
 * Fast Break, starring Gabe Kaplan and Bernard King
 * Felicity, starring Glory Annen – (Australia)
 * Ffolkes, aka North Sea Hijack, starring Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, Michael Parks – (U.K.)
 * The Fifth Musketeer, starring Sylvia Kristel, Ursula Andress, Beau Bridges, Ian McShane, Rex Harrison – (Austria/West Germany)
 * Firepower, starring Sophia Loren, James Coburn, O. J. Simpson – (U.K.)
 * First Case, Second Case (Qazieh, Shekl-e Avval, Shekl-e Dovom), directed by Abbas Kiarostami – (Iran)
 * The First Great Train Robbery, starring Sean Connery, Lesley-Anne Down, Donald Sutherland – (U.K.)
 * A Force of One, starring Chuck Norris and Jennifer O'Neill
 * French Postcards, starring Miles Chapin, David Marshall Grant, Debra Winger
 * Gal Young Un, directed by Victor Nuñez
 * The Genealogy (Jokbo) – (South Korea)
 * Going in Style, directed by Martin Brest, starring George Burns, Art Carney, Lee Strasberg
 * The Glove, starring John Saxon and Roosevelt Grier
 * Gol Maal (Confusion) – (India)
 * Goldengirl, starring Susan Anton, James Coburn, Leslie Caron
 * Grass Labyrinth (Kusa Meikyū) – (Japan)
 * The Great Santini, starring Robert Duvall, Michael O'Keefe, Blythe Danner, Lisa Jane Persky, Stan Shaw
 * The Great Riviera Bank Robbery, starring Ian McShane – (U.K.)
 * Hair, directed by Miloš Forman, starring John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo
 * Hanover Street, directed by Peter Hyams, starring Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Plummer – (U.S.A./U.K.)
 * Hardcore, directed by Paul Schrader, starring George C. Scott and Peter Boyle
 * Heart of the Forest (El corazón del bosque) – (Spain)
 * Heartland, directed by Richard Pearce, starring Rip Torn and Conchata Ferrell – Golden Bear winner, Sundance Grand Jury Prize
 * Hot Stuff, directed by and starring Dom DeLuise, with Suzanne Pleshette, Ossie Davis, Jerry Reed
 * The Human Factor, starring Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi – (U.K.)
 * Hurricane, starring Mia Farrow, Jason Robards, Max von Sydow, Trevor Howard
 * The Hussy (La drôlesse) – (France)
 * The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (L'Hypothèse du tableau volé), directed by Raúl Ruiz – (France)
 * I as in Icarus (I... comme Icare), starring Yves Montand – (France)
 * The In-Laws, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk
 * Jack Frost, directed by Rankin/Bass, starring Robert Morse
 * Jaguar – (Philippines)
 * The Jerk, directed by Carl Reiner, starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters
 * Jesus, directed by Peter Sykes and John Krisch, starring Brian Deacon – (Australia/U.S.A./U.K.)
 * Just You and Me, Kid, starring George Burns and Brooke Shields
 * Kaala Patthar (Black Stone), starring Shashi Kapoor – (India)
 * Kassbach – Ein Porträt (Kassbach – A Portrait) – (Austria)
 * The Kids Are Alright, a rockumentary featuring The Who – (U.K.)
 * Knockabout, directed by and starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong)
 * Kramer vs. Kramer, directed by Robert Benton, starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep (both won Oscars), Justin Henry, JoBeth Williams, Jane Alexander
 * Lady Oscar, starring Catriona MacColl and Patsy Kensit – (France/Japan)
 * Le Pétomane, starring Leonard Rossiter and Graham Stark
 * The Lady Vanishes, starring Elliott Gould, Cybill Shepherd, Angela Lansbury
 * Last Embrace, directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Roy Scheider and Janet Margolin
 * The Last of the Knucklemen – (Australia)
 * Little House Years
 * A Little Romance, directed by George Roy Hill, starring Laurence Olivier, Diane Lane, Sally Kellerman – (France/U.S.A.)
 * Little Tragedies (Malenkie tragedii) – (U.S.S.R.)
 * Love and Bullets, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Rod Steiger
 * Love at First Bite, starring George Hamilton and Susan Saint James
 * Love on the Run (L'amour en fuite), directed by François Truffaut – (France)
 * Lovers and Liars (Viaggio con Anita), starring Goldie Hawn and Giancarlo Giannini – (Italy/France)
 * La Luna, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Jill Clayburgh – (Italy)
 * Mad Max, directed by George Miller, starring Mel Gibson – (Australia)
 * The Magician of Lublin, starring Alan Arkin, Louise Fletcher, Valerie Perrine
 * Magnificent Butcher (Lin shi rong), starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong)
 * The Main Event, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal
 * Mamá cumple cien años (Mama Turns 100), directed by Carlos Saura, starring Geraldine Chaplin – (Spain)
 * Manhattan, directed by and starring Woody Allen, with Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway
 * A Man, a Woman, and a Bank, starring Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams
 * The Marriage of Maria Braun, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla – (West Germany)
 * Maula Jatt – (Pakistan)
 * Meatballs, directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray – (Canada)
 * The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (Mesto vstrechi izmenit nelzya) – (U.S.S.R.)
 * Meetings with Remarkable Men, Gurdjieff biography directed by Peter Brook – (U.K.)
 * Meteor, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Henry Fonda, Martin Landau, Trevor Howard
 * Monty Python's Life of Brian, directed by Terry Jones, starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin – (U.K.)
 * Moonraker, directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Roger Moore (as James Bond), with Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel – (U.K.)
 * More American Graffiti, starring Candy Clark, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams
 * Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears – (U.S.S.R.) – Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
 * Mr. Mike's Mondo Video, starring Michael O'Donoghue, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray
 * The Muppet Movie, made by Jim Henson, with Charles Durning and Dom DeLuise
 * Murder by Decree, starring Christopher Plummer (as Sherlock Holmes) and James Mason – (U.K./Canada)
 * My Brilliant Career, directed by Gillian Armstrong, starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill – (Australia)
 * Nightwing, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Nick Mancuso and Kathryn Harrold
 * Noorie, directed by Manmohan Krishna – (India)
 * Norma Rae, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field, Ron Leibman, Beau Bridges
 * The North Avenue Irregulars, starring Karen Valentine, Barbara Harris, Susan Clark
 * North Dallas Forty, starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, G. D. Spradlin, Dayle Haddon, Bo Svenson, John Matuszak
 * Nosferatu the Vampyre (Nosferatu: Phantom der Nach), directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz – (West Germany)
 * The Odd Angry Shot, starring Bryan Brown – (Australia)
 * The Odd Couple (Bo ming chan dao duo ming qiang), starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong)
 * The Onion Field, directed by Harold Becker, starring James Woods, John Savage, Franklyn Seales, Ted Danson
 * Operación Ogro, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, starring Gian Maria Volonté – (Spain/Italy)
 * Over the Edge, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, starring Matt Dillon
 * The Passage, starring Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Malcolm McDowell, Patricia Neal, Kay Lenz
 * A Perfect Couple, directed by Robert Altman, starring Paul Dooley and Marta Heflin
 * Peruvazhiyambalam, directed by Padmarajan – (India)
 * Les petites fugues (The Little Fugitives) – (Switzerland)
 * Phantasm, directed by Don Coscarelli
 * A Pleasure Doing Business, directed by Steven Vagnino, starring Conrad Bain, John Byner, Alan Oppenheimer and Misty Rowe
 * The Plank, directed by and starring Eric Sykes, with Arthur Lowe – (U.K.)
 * The Plumber, directed by Peter Weir, starring Judy Morris – (Australia)
 * Prince Nezha's Triumph Against Dragon King (Nezha nao hai), an animated film – (China)
 * The Prisoner of Zenda, starring Peter Sellers, Lynne Frederick and Lionel Jeffries
 * The Prize Fighter, starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway
 * Prophecy, directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Richard Dysart, Armand Assante
 * Quadrophenia, directed by Franc Roddam, starring Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Ray Winstone, with music by The Who – (U.K.)
 * Real Life, directed by and starring Albert Brooks, with Charles Grodin
 * Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
 * Rich Kids, starring Trini Alvarado and John Lithgow
 * Rock 'n' Roll High School, produced by Roger Corman, featuring The Ramones
 * Rocky II, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, with Carl Weathers, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young
 * The Rose, directed by Mark Rydell, starring Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Frederic Forrest
 * Running, starring Michael Douglas
 * Saint Jack, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Ben Gazzara
 * Scavenger Hunt, starring Cloris Leachman, Cleavon Little, Vincent Price, Tony Randall
 * Scum, starring Ray Winstone – (U.K.)
 * A Scream from Silence (Mourir à tue-tête) – (Canada)
 * The Seduction of Joe Tynan, starring Alan Alda, Meryl Streep, Melvyn Douglas, Barbara Harris, Rip Torn
 * A Sense of Freedom, directed by John Mackenzie – (U.K.)
 * Série noire (Black Series), directed by Alain Corneau – (France)
 * Siberiade, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky – (U.S.S.R)
 * Sisters, or the Balance of Happiness (Schwestern oder Die Balance des Glücks), directed by Margarethe von Trotta – (West Germany)
 * Skatetown, U.S.A., starring Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Maureen McCormick, Patrick Swayze
 * Something Out of Nothing, directed by Nikola Rudarov, starring Asen Kisimov, Stefan Danailov, Aneta Sotirova – (Bulgaria)
 * Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky – (U.S.S.R.)
 * Star Trek: The Motion Picture, directed by Robert Wise, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Persis Khambatta, Stephen Collins
 * Starting Over, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Burt Reynolds, Jill Clayburgh, Candice Bergen, Charles Durning
 * Suhaag (a.k.a. Sign of Marriage), starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rekha – (India)
 * The Survivors (Los sobrevivientes) – (Cuba)
 * Take Down, starring Lorenzo Lamas and Maureen McCormick
 * Tale of Tales (Skazka skazok), an animated film – (U.S.S.R.)
 * Tarka the Otter, narrated by Peter Ustinov – (U.K.)
 * The Tempest, directed by Derek Jarman, starring Toyah Willcox – (U.K.)
 * Tess, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Nastassja Kinski – (France/U.K.)
 * That Summer!, starring Ray Winstone – (U.K.)
 * The Theme (Tema), directed by Gleb Panfilov, starring Mikhail Ulyanov, Inna Churikova, Stanislav Lyubshin, and Yevgeni Vesnik. Winner of 1987 Golden Bear – (U.S.S.R.)
 * The Third Generation (Die Dritte Generation), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla – (West Germany)
 * Those Wonderful Movie Cranks (Báječní muži s klikou), directed by Jiří Menzel – (Czechoslovakia)
 * La Tía Alejandra (Aunt Alejandra) – (Mexico)
 * Tim, starring Mel Gibson and Piper Laurie – (Australia)
 * Time After Time, directed by Nicholas Meyer, starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen
 * The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring David Bennent – (West Germany) – Palme d'Or winner
 * To Forget Venice (Dimenticare Venezia), directed by Franco Brusati, starring Mariangela Melato and Erland Josephson – (Italy)
 * Tourist Trap, starring Chuck Connors and Tanya Roberts
 * Ultraman – (Japan)
 * Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle – (Japan)
 * Uncle Marin, the Billionaire (Nea Mărin miliardar) – (Romania)
 * Vengeance Is Mine (fukushū suru wa ware ni ari), directed by Shohei Imamura, starring Ken Ogata – (Japan)
 * The Villain, directed by Hal Needham, starring Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, Arnold Schwarzenegger
 * The Visitor, starring John Huston, Glenn Ford, Shelley Winters
 * Wanda Nevada, directed by and starring Peter Fonda, with Brooke Shields
 * The Wanderers, starring Ken Wahl and Karen Allen
 * The Warriors, directed by Walter Hill, starring Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Deborah Van Valkenburgh
 * When a Stranger Calls, starring Charles Durning and Carol Kane
 * Winter Kills, starring Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins
 * Wise Blood, directed by and starring John Huston, with Brad Dourif – (U.S.A./West Germany)
 * Woman Between Wolf and Dog (Femme entre chien et loup) – (Belgium/France)
 * Woyzeck, directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski and Eva Mattes – (West Germany)
 * The Wretches Are Still Singing (Τα Κουρέλια Τραγουδάνε Ακόμα), directed by Nikos Nikolaidis – (Greece)
 * Yanks, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Richard Gere, Lisa Eichhorn, Vanessa Redgrave – (U.S.A./U.K.)
 * Yesterday's Hero, directed by Neil Leifer, starring Ian McShane, Suzanne Somers, Adam Faith and Paul Nicholas – (U.K.)
 * Zombi 2, directed by Lucio Fulci, starring Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson – (Italy)
 * Zulu Dawn, starring Peter O'Toole, Burt Lancaster, Simon Ward – (U.S.A./South Africa/Netherlands)

January–March

 * January 1979
 * Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
 * Take Down
 * February 1979
 * February 2
 * The First Great Train Robbery
 * February 9
 * Agatha
 * Murder by Decree
 * The North Avenue Irregulars
 * The Warriors
 * February 23
 * Fast Break
 * March 1979
 * March 2
 * Norma Rae
 * Real Life
 * March 7
 * Starcrash
 * March 9
 * The Passage
 * March 14
 * Hair
 * Tourist Trap
 * March 16
 * California Dreaming
 * The China Syndrome
 * March 17
 * The Story of Heidi
 * March 21
 * The Bell Jar
 * March 28
 * Phantasm

April–June

 * April 1979
 * April 4
 * The Champ
 * April 6
 * A Perfect Couple
 * April 13
 * Love at First Bite
 * April 25
 * Manhattan
 * April 27
 * Dreamer
 * Saint Jack
 * May 1979
 * May 3
 * Winds of Change
 * May 4
 * Last Embrace
 * May 7
 * The Ballad of the Daltons
 * May 15
 * Zulu Dawn
 * May 17
 * Winter Kills
 * May 18
 * Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
 * Over the Edge
 * May 25
 * Alien
 * The Prisoner of Zenda
 * Wanda Nevada
 * June 1979
 * June 1
 * Phantasm
 * June 6
 * Escape to Athena
 * June 7
 * One Hundred and One Dalmatians (re-release)
 * June 15
 * Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
 * The In-Laws
 * Prophecy
 * Rocky II
 * The Water Babies
 * June 22
 * Escape from Alcatraz
 * The Main Event
 * The Muppet Movie
 * Nightwing
 * June 27
 * The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
 * The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
 * June 29
 * Bloodline
 * Meatballs
 * Moonraker
 * Up from the Depths

July–September

 * July 1979
 * July 6
 * Nutcracker Fantasy
 * July 13
 * Breaking Away
 * Dracula
 * The Wanderers
 * July 26
 * Unidentified Flying Oddball
 * July 27
 * The Amityville Horror
 * The Villain
 * August 1979
 * August 3
 * The Concorde ... Airport '79
 * More American Graffiti
 * North Dallas Forty
 * August 5
 * Meetings with Remarkable Men
 * August 15
 * Apocalypse Now
 * Star Wars (re-release)
 * August 17
 * Monty Python's Life of Brian
 * The Prisoner of Zenda
 * Rich Kids
 * The Seduction of Joe Tynan
 * August 24
 * Rock 'n' Roll High School
 * August 31
 * City on Fire
 * September 1979
 * September 7
 * Patrick
 * September 14
 * Love and Bullets
 * Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle
 * September 19
 * The Onion Field
 * Yanks
 * September 21
 * Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
 * September 28
 * The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
 * A Man, a Woman, and a Bank
 * Sleeping Beauty (re-release)
 * Time After Time
 * Wise Blood

October–December

 * October 1979
 * The Magician of Lubin
 * Siberiade
 * Skatetown, U.S.A.
 * October 5
 * 10
 * Starting Over
 * October 17
 * The Black Stallion
 * October 19
 * Jesus
 * Meteor
 * October 26
 * When a Stranger Calls
 * November 1979
 * A Pleasure Doing Business
 * The Prize Fighter
 * November 2
 * Quadrophenia
 * Running
 * November 6
 * Don Giovanni
 * November 9
 * The Rose
 * November 21
 * Mountain Family Robinson
 * November 23
 * Birth of the Beatles
 * December 1979
 * December 7
 * Star Trek: The Motion Picture
 * December 14
 * 1941
 * Chapter Two
 * The Jerk
 * December 19
 * Being There
 * December 20
 * All That Jazz
 * December 21
 * Baby Snakes
 * The Black Hole
 * Cuba
 * C.H.O.M.P.S.
 * The Electric Horseman
 * Scavenger Hunt

Births

 * January 1 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress
 * January 8 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress
 * January 24 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
 * January 27 – Rosamund Pike, English actress
 * February 2 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
 * February 9 – Zhang Ziyi, Chinese actress and dancer
 * February 11 – Brandy Norwood, American actress and singer
 * February 13 – Mena Suvari, American actress
 * February 21 – Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and singer
 * March 9 – Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor
 * March 10 – Danny Pudi, American actor
 * April 4
 * Bunko Kanazawa, Japanese actress
 * Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008)
 * Natasha Lyonne, American actress
 * April 11 – Josh Server, American actor
 * April 12 – Claire Danes, American actress
 * April 19 – Kate Hudson, American actress
 * April 21 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
 * April 23 – Jaime King, American actress
 * May 9 – Rosario Dawson, American actress
 * May 22 – Maggie Q, American actress
 * May 28 – Monica Keena, American actress
 * June 7 – Anna Torv, Australian actress
 * June 21 – Chris Pratt, American actor
 * June 24 – Mindy Kaling, American writer and actress
 * June 27 – Benjamin Speed, Australian film composer
 * July 3 – Ludivine Sagnier, French actress
 * July 6 – Kevin Hart, American actor
 * July 16 – Jayma Mays, American actress
 * July 31 – B. J. Novak, American writer and actor
 * August 3 – Evangeline Lilly, Canadian actress
 * August 27 – Aaron Paul, American actor
 * August 31 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian film composer
 * September 8 – Pink, American singer and actress
 * September 11 – Ariana Richards, American actress
 * October 1 – Marielle Heller, American film director
 * October 4 – Rachael Leigh Cook, American actress
 * October 6 – Sareh Bayat, Iranian actress
 * October 8 – Kristanna Loken, American actress
 * October 29 – Maya Karin, Malaysian actress
 * November 19 – Barry Jenkins, American film director
 * December 3 – Tiffany Haddish, American comedian and actress
 * December 11 – Rider Strong, American actor
 * December 23 – Summer Altice, American model and actress
 * December 26 – Chris Daughtry, American actor and singer

Debuts

 * Rosanna Arquette – More American Graffiti
 * Lorraine Bracco – Duos sur canapé
 * Matt Craven – Meatballs
 * Ted Danson – The Onion Field
 * Keith David – Disco Godfather
 * Matt Dillon – Over the Edge
 * Lisa Eichhorn – Yanks
 * Cary Elwes – Yesterday's Hero
 * Bruce Greenwood – Bear Island
 * Danny Glover – Escape from Alcatraz
 * Dennis Haysbert – Scoring
 * Sam J. Jones – 10
 * Wayne Knight – The Wanderers
 * Christine Lahti – ...And Justice for All
 * Diane Lane – A Little Romance
 * Hayao Miyazaki (director) – The Castle of Cagliostro
 * David Paymer – The In-Laws
 * Chris Penn – Charlie and the Talking Buzzard
 * Jean Reno – The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting
 * Mickey Rourke – 1941
 * Jay O. Sanders – Starting Over
 * Ricky Schroder – The Champ
 * Wallace Shawn – Manhattan
 * Martin Short – Lost and Found
 * Timothy Spall – Quadrophenia
 * Daniel Stern – Breaking Away
 * Patrick Swayze – Skatetown, U.S.A.
 * Christoph Waltz – Breakthrough
 * Peter Weller – Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
 * Ray Winstone – That Summer!
 * JoBeth Williams – Kramer vs. Kramer