Crowds assemble at the Kremlin Palace of the Congresses for a showing of The Defiant Ones during the Third Moscow International Film Festival, USSR July, 1963 -- Daily LIFT 629
Around 6,000 people attended the screening. The film, from 1958 and starring Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis and directed by Stanley Kramer was being shown as Kramer was on the festival's prize jury. Curtis visited Moscow for the screening as well.
Given the film's age it was not in competition. The American competition entry was The Great Escape.
There were competition films from 49 countries. The festival was dedicated to "A Humanist Film Art, For Peace and Friendship Among Nations!". In the end the Grand Prix was awarded to Italy's 8 1/2 by Federico Fellini "for outstanding creative and production work in which the internal struggle of an artist in quest of the truth is reflected."
This proved to be a controversial choice in the Soviet Union that was much debated at the time as some felt the movie did not reflect the festival's theme.