Mungiu’s ‘Fjord’ wins Palme d’Or again in Cannes

Fjord wins – Cristian Mungiu’s moral drama “Fjord,” starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, giving the Romanian director his second Palme d’Or—19 years after “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.” The Grand Prix went to Andrey Z

By the time the applause settled, “Fjord” didn’t feel like one win among many. It felt like the second chapter of a career—one that Cannes audiences had watched close to two decades ago.

Cristian Mungiu’s complex moral drama “Fjord,” starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, won the Palme d’Or for best film at the Cannes Film Festival. It also made Mungiu the tenth filmmaker to win the coveted Palme d’Or twice—19 years after his first victory for “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.”

The night’s top rival came from exile. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s anti-Putin drama “Minotaur” took the Grand Prix, the second-most prestigious honor at the festival. Other Competition awards went to “Fatherland. ” “The Black Ball. ” “The Dreamed Adventure. ” “Coward. ” “All of a Sudden. ” and “A Man of His Time. ” completing a wide field of recognition rather than a single clear takeover.

“Fjord” wasn’t done after the headline prize. It also received the FIPRESCI Award (Competition) and the Ecumenical Jury Award. and it won both the François Chalais Prize and the Citizenship Prize. The film’s presence across multiple juries made the win feel less like an isolated judgment and more like a shared conviction inside Cannes.

The Competition slate began with the Palme d’Or—“Fjord. ” Cristian Mungiu—and moved through the rest of the top honors: the Grand Prix to “Minotaur. ” Andrey Zvyagintsev; the Jury Prize to “The Dreamed Adventure. ” Valeska Grisebach; and a tied Best Director award. The Best Director tie went to Javier Calva and Javier Ambrossi for “The Black Ball. ” and to Pawel Pawlikowski for “Fatherland.”.

Acting and writing awards spread across the festival’s most watched roles and scripts. Best Actress went to Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for “All of a Sudden.” Best Actor went to Valentin Campagne and Emmanuel Macchia for “Coward.” Best Screenplay went to Emmanuel Marre for “A Man of His Time.”

Beyond Competition, Cannes also distributed major prizes across its parallel sections. In the Directors’ Fortnight, the Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film went to “Too Many Beasts,” Sarah Arnold. The SACD Prize for Best French Film went to “Shana. ” Shana Pinell. and the Audience Choice Award went to “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. ” Clio Barnard. Carrosse d’Or went to Claire Denis.

In Critics’ Week. the Grand Prize went to “La Gradiva. ” Marine Atlan. while the GAN Foundation Award for Distribution went to “A Girl Unknown. ” Zou Jing (Pyramide Distribution). The Rising Star Award went to Aina Clotet for “Alive.” Additional SACD recognition went to Blerta Basholli and Nicole Borgeat for “Dua.” The Canal+ Short Film Award went to “Vaterland or a Bule Named Yanto. ” Berthold Wahjudi. The Discovery Prize for Short Film went to “Skinny Boots,” Romain F. Dubois.

Cannes’ immersive track also found its winners: the Best Immersive Work Award went to “Katábasis,” Ugo Arsac, with Special Mention to “The Black Mirror Experience,” David Bardos and Damià Ferràndiz.

In Cinéfondation awards, the First Prize went to “Laser-Cat,” by Lucas Acher (NYC, United States). The Second Prize went to “Silent Voices,” Nadine Misong Jin (Columbia University, United States). The Third Prize was a tie between “Never Enough. ” Julius Lagoutte Larsen (La Fémis. France). and “Growing Stones. Flying Papers. ” Roozbeh Gezerseh and Soraya Shamsi (Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg. Germany).

Other awards filled out the broader picture of the festival’s appetite for risk and resonance. The L’Oeil d’Or Documentary Prize went to “Rehearsals for a Revolution,” Pegah Ahangarani. The Golden Eye Special Jury Prize went to “Tin Castle,” Alexander Murphy. The Queer Palm went to “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” Jane Schoenbrun. The Queer Palm Discovery Prize went to “Flesh and Fuel,” Pierre Le Gall. The Queer Palm for Short Film went to “Silent Voice,” Nadine Misong Jin.

Several top documentary and jury honors came with their own distinct winners: the Cannes Soundtrack Award went to Evgueni and Sacha Galperine for “Minotaur.” The AFCAE Art House Cinema Award went to “A Man of His Time,” Emmanuel Marre, and the Prix du Cinéma Positif went to “Coward,” Lukas Dhont.

Even the festival’s playful corner returned prizes, too. Palm Dog went to Yuri for “La Perra,” and Palm Dog Special Mention went to Lola for “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning.”

The festival also handed out major revelation awards: the Trophée Chopard for Female Revelation of the Year went to Odessa A’zion, and the Trophée Chopard for Male Revelation of the Year went to Connor Swindells.

Ahead of the ceremony, Cannes had already announced Honorary Palmes d’Or to Peter Jackson, Barbra Streisand, and John Travolta.

In Un Certain Regard. the Un Certain Regard Award went to “Everytime. ” Sandra Wollner. with the Jury Prize going to “Elephants in the Fog. ” Abinash Bikram Shah. The Special Jury Prize went to “Iron Boy,” Louis Clichy. Best Actress went to Daniela Marín Navarro. Marina de Tavira. and Mariangel Villegas for “Forever Your Maternal Animal. ” and Best Actor went to Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset for “Congo Boy.”.

The story of the night. though. kept tightening around one film: “Fjord.” Its Palme d’Or followed a chain of recognition that stretched across different juries and different categories—FIPRESCI. Ecumenical. François Chalais. and Citizenship—turning a single award moment into something closer to a full Cannes consensus.

And when “Fjord” reached the top spot. it did it with a timing that mattered: 19 years after “4 Months. 3 Weeks and 2 Days.” For Cristian Mungiu. this wasn’t just a win. It was a return to the summit—and a reminder that his brand of moral scrutiny can still cut through a crowded. demanding festival lineup.

Cristian Mungiu Fjord Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or Sebastian Stan Renate Reinsve Minotaur Andrey Zvyagintsev Grand Prix 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days