Cristian Mungiu’s ‘Fjord’ Takes Palme d’Or! Neon Wins Seventh Straight!

Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord” has won the Palme d’Or. This marks Mungiu’s second Palme — he previously won in 2007 for “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.” It also means that Neon has now backed the Palme d’Or winner for seven consecutive years.

Mungiu’s gripping exploration of culture, ideology, and intolerance — starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve — follows a conservative Romanian family that relocates from Bucharest to rural Norway, only to find themselves at the center of a devastating legal, religious and cultural firestorm after child welfare authorities remove their children over suspected abuse.

Inspired by real events, the story evolves into a broader examination of how liberal societies respond to people whose beliefs clash with dominant social norms, with Mungiu portraying both the parents and the authorities as trapped by ideology, fear, and moral certainty.

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” received the Grand Prix. A worthy winner of the festival’s second-highest honor, the film was accompanied by a blistering anti-Putin acceptance speech from the exiled Russian filmmaker, who pleaded with the Russian leader to “end the butchery.”

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (“The Black Ball”) shared the Best Director prize with Paweł Pawlikowski (“Fatherland”). This marks Pawlikowski’s second Best Director win at Cannes after “Cold War” in 2018. For Ambrossi and Calvo — commonly known as Los Javis — this was their first film to screen in Cannes competition.

German director Valeska Grisebach won the Jury Prize for “The Dreamed Adventure,” a bewildering, constantly shapeshifting film following a woman living near the borders of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey who agrees to help a friend, only to fall into the hands of criminals.

Emmanuel Marre won Best Screenplay for “A Man of His Time,” starring Swann Arlaud as Henri Marre. Set during the French Resistance and Vichy France in World War II, the film had been heavily championed by the French press as a potential Palme d’Or winner but ultimately settled for the screenplay prize.

Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne shared the Best Actor award for their performances as Belgian soldiers who fall in love during World War I in Lukas Dhont’s “Coward.” Another acting tie saw Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto win Best Actress for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden.”

Many believed Marine Atlan’s “La Gradiva” would take the Caméra d’Or. Instead, the award for best first feature across all festival sections went to Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo for “Ben’Imana,” which screened in Un Certain Regard and became the first Rwandan film ever presented at the festival.

Cannes Film Festival 2026 Award Winners

Palme d’Or: “Fjord” (Cristian Mungiu)

Grand Prix: “Minotaur” (Andrey Zvyagintsev)

Best Director: Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (“The Black Ball”) and Pawel Pawlikowski (“Fatherland”)

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)

EARLIER: The 2026 Cannes Film Festival has concluded after two weeks of screenings, with Saturday’s closing ceremony held at the Lumière Theater marking the moment when the competition jury will announce the winner of the Palme d’Or, and other awards.

Earlier in the day, a report emerged that eight films would be awarded prizes tonight: “Coward,” “All of a Sudden,” “Minotaur,” “The Black Ball,” “The Dreamed Adventure,” “Fjord,” “A Man of His Time,” and “Fatherland.”

This year’s jury was presided over by filmmaker Park Chan-wook and included directors Diego Cespedes, Laura Wandel, and Chloé Zhao, alongside actors Isaach de Bankolé, Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, and Stellan Skarsgård, as well as screenwriter Paul Laverty.