Director Cristian Mungiu, following his triumph at Cannes
Director Cristian Mungiu has announced that steps are being taken to organize a Romanian screening for his film Fjord, which recently won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
Mihai Pelin, 02.06.2026, 13:50
Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, which scooped the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, will be screened on June 13 across roughly 90 theaters in dozens of Romanian cities. “This is a sneak preview, organized to give the Romanian public, who have shown immense curiosity since Cannes, the chance to see the film as soon as possible. This is especially important since we will have to wait until the official premiere, which won’t happen until late this year or early next year”, Mungiu said. He added that he expects the Romanian government to invest more back into culture and cinema, pointing out that filmmakers have fully delivered on their cultural mission by bringing home major awards that belong to the entire country.
At the same time, Mungiu warned that Romania’s film fund is heavily underfunded because certain legally mandated revenues are not being collected, resulting in an accumulated debt of over €130 million. Cristian Mungiu emphasized that Romanian cinema does not rely on the state budget, and enforcing this existing law requires no extra funding or legislative changes, simply a joint directive from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Culture. The director also noted that digital advertising needs to be added to the revenue sources funding the cinema sector. Furthermore, he believes it is crucial to secure national or European funding to properly equip Romania’s remaining state-owned theaters and community cultural centers.
Nearly two decades later, the Romanian director finds himself back in the international spotlight after his previous 2007 Cannes triumph with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, a gripping story about illegal abortion during the communist era. Fjord captivated critics and the jury from the very first days of the festival. The film also picked up four other accolades at Cannes: the Ecumenical Jury Prize, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize, the Citizenship Prize, and the François Chalais Prize, an honor awarded to the film that best captures contemporary reality while upholding the values of journalism.
Cristian Mungiu, who also wrote the screenplay, sets his story in Norway, where a deeply religious Romanian-Norwegian Evangelical couple settles down with their five children. At first, they seem to blend seamlessly into a society that prides itself on tolerance and respect for minorities. However, everything takes a sharp turn when suspicions of domestic abuse surface. Norwegian authorities begin to scrutinize the parents, questioning their strict upbringing—which bars the children from using smartphones and a well-known video platform—and criticizing their religious beliefs. The tension escalates until child protection proceedings are launched to remove the children, including the youngest sibling, a newborn still being breastfed by his mother. (VP)
