Directed and written by Cristian Mungiu, the drama thriller “Fjord” won the Palme d’Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, with Mungiu joined on stage by lead actors Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan during the celebration.
Set against the scrutiny of the local judicial system, the story follows a Romanian immigrant hoping to build a peaceful new life in Norway, only to be pulled into a storm of courtroom battles and cultural tensions when authorities intervene. Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve lead the gripping drama.
Mungiu said,” We need to wait 20 years to watch these films again and see which ones have stood the test of time.”
Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu has officially joined an elite group of directors after winning the Palme d’Or for the second time at Cannes, following his first victory with the film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007. He is now the 11th filmmaker in cinema history to achieve the rare feat of winning Cannes’ top prize twice.
Mungiu made his feature directorial debut with Occident(2002), which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and earned critical acclaim in Romania. His acclaimed filmography also includes Beyond the Hills(2012), which won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes, Graduation(2016), which earned him the Cannes festival’s Best Director prize, and R.M.N..
It wasn’t just Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord that made headlines during the memorable night at the Cannes Film Festival — Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur took home the Grand Prix, while the Best Director prize was shared between Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for The Black Ball, alongside Paweł Pawlikowski for Fatherland.
According to the French press, Emmanuel Marre’s A Man of His Time had been viewed as a potential Palme d’Or contender, but ultimately won the Best Screenplay award. Set during the French Resistance and Vichy France in World War II, the film stars Swann Arlaud as Henri Marre.
79th Cannes 2026 Award Winners
Best Director: Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (“The Black Ball”) and Pawel Pawlikowski (“Fatherland”)
Palme d’Or: “Fjord” (Cristian Mungiu)
Grand Prix: “Minotaur” (Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Jury Prize: “The Dreamed Adventure” (Valeska Grisebach)
Best Actress: Virginie Efira and Tao Okamato (“All of A Sudden”)
Best Actor: Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne (“Coward”)
Best Screenplay: Emmanuel Marre (“A Man of His Time”)
Camera d’Or: “Ben’Imana” (Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo)
