(From L) Romanian director, screenwriter and producer Cristian Mungiu (R) and Romanian-U.S. actor Sebastian Stan (C) embrace after profitable the Palme d’Or for the movie “Fjord” through the closing ceremony of the 79th version of the Cannes Movie Pageant in Cannes, southern France, on Might 23, 2026.
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Cristian Mungiu’s Norway-set drama about political polarization “Fjord” has received the Palme d’Or, handing the Cannes Movie Pageant ‘s prime honor for the second time to Mungiu, the Romanian director of “4 Months, 3 Weeks and a pair of Days.”
At a 79th Cannes Movie Pageant that noticed few movies breakout, “Fjord” discovered extensive admiration for its engrossing story of what Mungiu referred to as “left-wing fundamentalism.” It stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as Romanian Evangelicals who transfer to Norway, however quickly after have their kids taken from them by little one providers for spanking them.
“Right now the society is break up. It is divided. It is radicalized,” mentioned Mungiu. “This movie is a pledge towards any sort of fundamentalism. It is a pledge for these items we quote fairly often, like trauma and inclusion and empathy. These are pretty phrases however we have to apply them extra typically.”
Mungiu turns into simply the tenth filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or twice. His “4 Months, 3 Weeks and a pair of Days,” a Romanian abortion drama, received the award in 2007.
The win for “Fjord” extends one of many films’ most extraordinary streaks. Neon, the specialty label, has now taken seven Palme d’Or winners in a row. “Fjord” provides to its unparalleled run, together with final 12 months’s champion, Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Simply an Accident,” and the 2024 winner, “Anora.” The latter went on to win finest image on the Oscars.
Russian director and screenwriter Andrey Zvyagintsev (R) celebrates on stage subsequent to U.S. actress Zoe Saldana after profitable the Grand Prix Award for the movie “Minotaure” (Minotaur) through the closing ceremony of the 79th version of the Cannes Movie Pageant in Cannes, southern France, on Might 23, 2026.
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The Grand Prix, or second prize, went to “Minotaur,” Andrey Zvyagintsev’s home thriller set towards Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Loosely primarily based on Claude Chabrol’s 1969 movie “The Untrue Spouse,” “Minotaur” is a couple of Russian businessman suspicious of his spouse’s indiscretions. On the identical time, he is tasked with conscripting 150 of his staff for Vladimir Putin’s conflict machine.
By extensive consensus, it wasn’t a banner competition. Hollywood largely sat out this 12 months’s version. Lots of the picks struggled to bowl over critics. The worldwide buzz that Cannes usually generates was fitful at finest.
However the awards handed out Saturday because the 79th Cannes drew to a detailed will considerably increase the worldwide profiles of the winners. Final 12 months’s Cannes produced an extended string of Oscar nominees, together with “Sentimental Worth” and “The Secret Agent.”
The nine-member jury that determined the awards was headed by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård have been additionally jurors.
Two movies received for finest director: the Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski, for his postwar drama “Fatherland”; and the Spanish artistic duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for “The Black Ball,” a generation-spanning queer epic “The Black Ball.”
Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, the 2 stars of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden” shared one of the best actress award. Within the elegantly empathetic drama, the 2 play girls introduced collectively in friendship out of their mutual sense of take care of others.
The jury additionally break up one of the best actor prize. They selected Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, the 2 stars of ” Coward,” Lukas Dhont’s drama about younger Belgian males despatched to the frontlines of World Conflict II.
The prize for finest screenplay was awarded to Emmanuel Marre for “A Man of His Time,” a French drama a couple of Nazi collaborator in Vichy France. Marre primarily based it on the experiences of his personal great-grandfather.
Isabelle Huppert accepts the Honorary Palme d’Or on behalf of Barbra Streisand from host Eye Haïdara on stage through the closing ceremony of the 79th annual Cannes Movie Pageant at Palais des Festivals on Might 23, 2026 in Cannes, France.
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The jury prize, or third place, went to German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach’s “The Dreamed Journey,” a criminal offense drama set in a Bulgarian border city.
Saturday’s ceremony was lacking its tribute honoree. Barbra Streisand was to obtain an honorary Palme d’Or, however a knee harm prevented her from attending. Isabelle Huppert however celebrated Streisand through the ceremony, and Streisand appeared in a taped video message.
The Digicam d’Or, Cannes’ award for finest first movie, went to Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s post-genocide drama “Ben’Imana,” the primary Rwandan movie to be formally chosen for the competition.
