Another Palme d’Or for Cristian Mungiu

The feature film “Fjord,” directed by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, won the Palme d’Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival

Eugen Cojocariu, 23.05.2026, 23:35

The feature film “Fjord,” directed by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, won the Palme d’Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, according to the event’s official website.

In “Fjord,” Mungiu sets his story in Norway, where a deeply devout Romanian-Norwegian evangelical couple (Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve) settles with their five children and, at first, seems to integrate seamlessly into a society that proclaims its tolerance and respect for minorities. But everything changes abruptly when suspicions of domestic violence against the children arise. Norwegian authorities begin to view the couple with a critical eye, questioning their strict upbringing—which excludes the use of YouTube and smartphones—and criticizing their religious beliefs. Tension mounts until a child welfare proceeding is initiated against them, targeting the children, including the youngest of the siblings, a newborn who was still being breastfed by his mother. ‘Fjord’ is a film about the difficulty of understanding someone who thinks differently, a story about polarization, about the inability to engage in dialogue, about the things that separate people and those that still hold them together.

Cristian Mungiu returned with this film to the official competition at Cannes with the same artistic courage that earned him the Palme d’ in 2007 (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”), the Best Screenplay Award in 2012 (“Beyond the Hills”), and the Best Director Award in 2016 (“Graduation”).

The film won four other awards at Cannes: the FIPRESCI Prize (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), the Ecumenical Jury Prize (honoring films that touch on the spiritual dimension of existence), the François Chalais Prize (dedicated to films that reflect the values of journalism), and the Prix de la Citoyenneté (awarded by civic associations and organizations, which recognizes films that encourage civic spirit and social consciousness).

The 79th awards ceremony on the Croisette took place at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes. The jury for the official competition was chaired by South Korean director Park Chan-wook. (MI)