{"id":817591,"date":"2026-05-23T21:12:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T21:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/817591\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T21:12:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T21:12:28","slug":"cristian-mungiu-wins-his-second-palme-dor-at-cannes-for-fjord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/817591\/","title":{"rendered":"Cristian Mungiu Wins His Second Palme d’Or at Cannes for ‘Fjord’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tCristian Mungiu<\/a>\u2018s complex moral drama \u201cFjord,\u201d starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, has won the Palme d\u2019Or for best film at the Cannes Film Festival<\/a>, making the Romanian writer-director the tenth filmmaker to win the coveted award twice \u2014 19 years after his first victory for \u201c4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.\u201d The film, about a Romanian family of Evangelical Christians mired in a child abuse case when they run afoul of the Norwegian social system, was among the more hotly debated titles in the Competition, with critics split on its merits and its sociopolitical allegiances \u2014 though evidently that very discussability united a jury headed by South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tMungiu has typically self-effacing as he accepted the Palme. \u201cAll awards are contextual,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fact that you gave me this award, it\u2019s wonderful for us and we feel very happy, but we need to wait 10, 20 years to watch these films again, and maybe then we\u2019ll understand which of them were really good, and managed to survive the test of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis critic was among the admirers of the film (Mungiu\u2019s first to be set and shot entirely outside his home country), describing it<\/a> as a \u201csuperb new drama of systemic order and individual disarray [that] feels immediately of a piece with his searching, bristling oeuvre, despite its crisp new setting,\u201d and praising Stan\u2019s and Reinsve\u2019s \u201cmeasured, tightly clenched performances.\u201d The win also represents a major coup for \u201cFjord\u2019s\u201d U.S. distributor Neon<\/a>, which has now extended its Palme-winning streak to seven years running, beginning with eventual Oscar winner \u201cParasite\u201d in 2019, and will certainly buoy their future awards hopes for Mungiu\u2019s film.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe win wasn\u2019t entirely expected: Many thought exiled Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, now based in France, would triumph for his icy anti-Putin neo-noir \u201cMinotaur<\/a>,\u201d his first film in nine years, and a major comeback following a near-fatal battle with COVID a few years ago. In the end, Zvyagintsev had to be content with the Grand Prix, the fest\u2019s second most prestigious award, but prospects look strong for the Mubi-backed title \u2014 a contemporary reworking of Claude Chabrol\u2019s erotic thriller \u201cThe Unfaithful Wife,\u201d set in Russia near the star of Putin\u2019s war on Ukraine, but shot entirely in Latvia by political necessity.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a heavily European-dominated slate of winners, the Best Director prize was shared by two oppositely styled historical visions: \u201cFatherland<\/a>,\u201d Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski\u2019s meticulous evocation of post-war Germany, and \u201cThe Black Ball<\/a>,\u201d Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi\u2019s sprawling, stylized, era-spanning ode to queer lives and loves lost to fascism, written through the prism of Federico Garcia Lorca\u2019s poetry. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe tie provided the most amusing moment of the awards ceremony, with the confused shuffle of the three directors on stage prompting Pawlikowski to quip, \u201cThis is a piece of disastrous mise-en-sc\u00e8ne!\u201d But it also served up the two most stirring speeches of the night, with the Spanish filmmakers, known locally as Los Javis, overcome with emotion as they honored their queer antecedents: \u201cThe only way we can honor the suffering, the silence, the death of the LGBTQ people that came before us, is making sure that the next generation has the same freedom or more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPawlikowski, meanwhile, spoke precisely and passionately about the need for a nuanced understanding of political cinema: \u201cWe live and breath politics, and cinema should reflect that, but not on terms dictated by politicians and activists: It takes courage to resist dictators and bullies, but it also takes courage to resist noise, algorithms, peer pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLos Javis, meanwhile, weren\u2019t the only duo honored on a night where collaborative artistry was especially celebrated. Both acting awards went to pairs of co-stars, with Frenchwoman Virginie Efira and Japanese star Tao Okamoto (the only non-European individual to take a prize from the jury, for a culture-melding French-Japanese production) sharing the Best Actress award for their exquisitely calibrated, conversational dual turn in Ryusuke Hamaguchi\u2019s critical darling \u201cAll of a Sudden,\u201d as a care home manager and experimental theater director who find a deep and unexpected bond through their respective lines of work. <\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, the two young stars of Belgian director Lukas Dhont\u2019s First World War drama \u201cCoward\u201d \u2014 Valentin Campagne and newcomer Emmanuel Macchia \u2014 were stunned to jointly win Best Actor for their aching sensitive portrayals of soldiers-turned-lovers on the Western Front. Their giddy, ebullient speech, as Campagne literally leaped into his co-star\u2019s arms, was a joyful high in the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\n\tGerman director Valeska Grisebach may have been the sole Jury Prize winner for her ambitiously experimental, documentary-influed crime drama \u201cThe Dreamed Adventure,\u201d but she didn\u2019t see herself that way, calling her leading lady Yana Radeva onto stage as her most invaluable collaborator. Frenchman Emmanuel Marre, meanwhile, took Best Screenplay for another of the Competition\u2019s most strikingly unconventional works, the fractured French Resistance drama \u201cA Man of His Time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn something of a surprise, the Camera d\u2019Or for best first feature across all sections of the festival went to Rwandan filmmaker Marie Cl\u00e9mentine Dusabejambo for her heartfelt debut \u201cBen\u2019Imana\u201d \u2014 a happy turnaround after the film was entirely blanked by the Un Certain Regard jury last night. It was a welcome triumph for African cinema on such a Eurocentric night. <\/p>\n

\n\tYet in a year where American films her conspicious by their general absence \u2014 the two U.S. Competition titles, James Gray\u2019s \u201cPaper Tiger\u201d and Ira Sachs\u2019 \u201cThe Man I Love,\u201d both left empty-handed \u2014 the awards did encapsulate the major theme of this year\u2019s festival: of film as a global, exploratory medium, with \u201cFjord,\u201d \u201cMinotaur,\u201d \u201cThe Dreamed Adventure,\u201d \u201cFatherland\u201d and \u201cAll of a Sudden\u201d all either addressing themes of displacement on screen, or made by filmmakers forging connections with new countries and national cinemas.<\/p>\n

\n\tCOMPETITION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Palme d\u2019Or:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cFjord,\u2019 Cristian Mungiu<\/p>\n

Grand Prix:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cMinotaur,\u201d Andrey Zvyagintsev<\/p>\n

Jury Prize: <\/strong>\u201cThe Dreamed Adventure,\u201d Valeska Grisebach<\/p>\n

Best Director:\u00a0<\/strong>(TIE) Javier Calva and Javier Ambrossi, \u201cThe Black Ball\u201d; Pawel Pawlikowski, \u201cFatherland\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Actress:\u00a0<\/strong>Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, \u201cAll of a Sudden\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Actor:<\/strong> Valentin Campagne and Emmanuel Macchia, \u201cCoward\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Screenplay:\u00a0<\/strong>Emmanuel Marre, \u201cA Man of His Time\u201d <\/p>\n

OTHER PRIZES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Camera d\u2019Or:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cBen\u2019Imana,\u201d Marie Cl\u00e9mentine Dusabejambo<\/p>\n

Short Film Palme d\u2019Or:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cFor the Opponents,\u201d Federico Luis<\/p>\n

\n\tPrior to tonight\u2019s ceremony, the festival has also seen the following awards announced:<\/p>\n

\n\tHONORARY PALMES D\u2019OR: <\/strong>Peter Jackson; Barbra Streisand<\/a>; John Travolta<\/p>\n

UN CERTAIN REGARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Un Certain Regard Award:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cEverytime,\u201d Sandra Wollner<\/p>\n

Jury Prize:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cElephants in the Fog\u201d Abinash Bikram Shah<\/p>\n

Special Jury Prize:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cIron Boy,\u201d Louis Clichy<\/p>\n

Best Actress:<\/strong>\u00a0Daniela Mar\u00edn Navarro, Marina de Tavira and Mariangel Villegas, \u201cForever Your Maternal Animal\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Actor:<\/strong>\u00a0Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset, \u201cCongo Boy\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDIRECTORS\u2019 FORTNIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cToo Many Beasts,\u201d Sarah Arnold<\/p>\n

SACD Prize for Best French Film:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cShana,\u201d Shana Pinell<\/p>\n

Audience Choice Award:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI See Buildings Fall Like Lightning,\u201d Clio Barnard<\/p>\n

Carrosse d\u2019Or: <\/strong>Claire Denis<\/p>\n

CRITICS\u2019 WEEK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grand Prize:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cLa Gradiva,\u201d Marine Atlan<\/p>\n

GAN Foundation Award for Distribution:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cA Girl Unknown,\u201d Zou Jing (Pyramide Distribution)<\/p>\n

Rising Star Award:<\/strong>\u00a0Aina Clotet, \u201cAlive\u201d<\/p>\n

SACD Prize:<\/strong>\u00a0Blerta Basholli and Nicole Borgeat, \u201cDua\u201d<\/p>\n

Canal+ Short Film Award:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cVaterland or a Bule Named Yanto,\u201d\u00a0Berthold Wahjudi<\/p>\n

\n\tDiscovery Prize for Short Film:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cSkinny Boots,\u201d Romain F. Dubois<\/p>\n

\n\tIMMERSIVE COMPETITION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Best Immersive Work Award:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cKat\u00e1basis,\u201d Ugo Arsac<\/p>\n

Special Mention<\/strong>:\u00a0\u201cThe Black Mirror Experience,\u201d David Bardos and Dami\u00e0 Ferr\u00e0ndiz<\/p>\n

CIN\u00c9FONDATION AWARDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

First Prize:<\/strong> \u201cLaser-Cat,\u201d by\u201d Lucas Acher (NYC, United States)<\/p>\n

Second Prize: <\/strong>\u201cSilent Voices,\u201d Nadine Misong Jin (Columbia University, United States)<\/p>\n

Third Prize: <\/strong>(TIE) \u201cNever Enough,\u201d Julius Lagoutte Larsen (La F\u00e9mis, France); \u201cGrowing Stones, Flying Papers,\u201d Roozbeh Gezerseh and Soraya Shamsi (Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, Germany)<\/p>\n

\n\tOTHER AWARDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

L\u2019Oeil d\u2019Or Documentary Prize:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cRehearsals for a Revolution,\u201d Pegah Ahangarani<\/p>\n

Golden Eye Special Jury Prize:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cTin Castle,\u201d Alexander Murphy<\/p>\n

Queer Palm:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cTeenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,\u201d Jane Schoenbrun<\/p>\n

Queer Palm Discovery Prize: <\/strong>\u201cFlesh and Fuel,\u201d Pierre Le Gall<\/p>\n

\n\tQueer Palm for Short Film: <\/strong>\u201cSilent Voice,\u201d Nadine Misong Jin<\/p>\n

FIPRESCI Award (Competition):<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cFjord,\u201d Cristian Mungiu<\/p>\n

FIPRESCI Award (Un Certain Regard):\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cBen\u2019Imana,\u201d Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo<\/p>\n

FIPRESCI Award (Parallel Sections):<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cA Girl Unknown,\u201d Jing Zou<\/p>\n

Ecumenical Jury Award: <\/strong>\u201cFjord,\u201d Cristian Mungiu<\/p>\n

\n\tCannes Soundtrack Award: <\/strong>Evgueni and Sacha Galperine, \u201cMinotaur\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFran\u00e7ois Chalais Prize: <\/strong>\u201cFjord,\u201d Cristian Mungiu<\/p>\n

\n\tCitizenship Prize: <\/strong>\u201cFjord,\u201d Cristian Mungiu<\/p>\n

\n\tAFCAE Art House Cinema Award<\/strong>: \u201cA Man of His Time,\u201d Emmanuel Marre<\/p>\n

\n\tPrix du Cin\u00e9ma Positif: <\/strong>\u201cCoward,\u201d Lukas Dhont<\/p>\n

\n\tPalm Dog:<\/strong>\u00a0Yuri, \u201cLa Perra\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPalm Dog Special Mention: <\/strong>Lola, \u201cI See Buildings Fall Like Lightning\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTroph\u00e9e Chopard for Female Revelation of the Year: <\/strong>Odessa A\u2019zion<\/p>\n

\n\tTroph\u00e9e Chopard for Male Revelation of the Year: <\/strong>Connor Swindells<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cristian Mungiu\u2018s complex moral drama \u201cFjord,\u201d starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, has won the Palme d\u2019Or for…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":817592,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[9],"tags":[1570,49625,322870,171,331176,336456,37096,80008,330210,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-817591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-barbra-streisand","tag-cannes-film-festival","tag-cristian-mungiu","tag-entertainment","tag-fatherland","tag-minotaur","tag-neon","tag-park-chan-wook","tag-the-black-ball","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116625955100099006","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=817591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/817592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=817591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=817591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=817591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}