Cannes 79: Mungiu’s ‘Fjord’ claims Palme d’Or amid polarisation themes
The nine-member jury, chaired by Park Chan-wook, selected the Norway-set drama from a field of 22 contenders, extending distributor Neon’s consecutive winning streak.
Cristian Mungiu’s Norway-set drama "Fjord" has been awarded the Palme d’Or at the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The honour marks the second time the Romanian director has received the festival’s top prize, following his 2007 victory for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days". Mungiu is now only the 10th filmmaker in the event’s history to achieve this distinction.
The nine-member jury, led by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, selected the film from a field of 22 competing entries. "Fjord" explores themes of political polarisation and what Mungiu described as "left-wing fundamentalism". The narrative follows Romanian Evangelicals, played by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, who move to Norway and subsequently face the removal of their children by child services following an incident involving spanking.
The win extends a significant commercial trend for the specialty distributor Neon, which has now attached itself to seven consecutive Palme d’Or winners. This streak highlights the label’s consistent ability to align with the festival’s critical darlings, even as Hollywood studios remained largely absent from this year’s competition, allowing arthouse directors to dominate the lineup.
Other major awards announced at the ceremony included the Grand Prix for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s "Minotaur". The Russian thriller, loosely based on Claude Chabrol’s 1969 film "The Unfaithful Wife", depicts a businessman suspicious of his wife’s indiscretions while simultaneously tasked with conscripting workers for Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
Best director prizes were shared between Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski for "Fatherland" and the Spanish creative duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for "The Black Ball". The jury also split the acting awards, with Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto sharing best actress for "All of a Sudden", and Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne taking best actor for "Coward".
The Camera d’Or for best first film went to Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s "Ben’Imana", a post-genocide drama and the first Rwandan film to be officially selected for the festival. The jury prize was awarded to Valeska Grisebach’s "The Dreamed Adventure", a crime drama set in a Bulgarian border town.
Winning at Cannes historically serves as a catalyst for career trajectories and awards season success. Recent precedents include last year’s second-place winner "Sentimental Value", which later secured the Oscar for best international feature film, and the 2024 winner "Anora", which swept the Oscars with five wins.
