Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's 'Fjord' wins Palme d'Or at Cannes 2026
Feature film 'Fjord', directed by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, won the Palme d'Or trophy at the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, according to the event's official website.
In 'Fjord', Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu sets the story in Norway, where a deeply religious Romanian-Norwegian evangelical couple, played by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, settle with their five children and initially appear to integrate seamlessly into a society that prides itself on tolerance and respect for minorities.
Everything changes abruptly, however, when suspicions of domestic violence against the children emerge. Norwegian authorities begin viewing the couple critically, questioning their strict upbringing - which excludes YouTube and smartphones - as well as criticising their religious beliefs.
Tensions escalate until child placement proceedings are initiated, including against the youngest sibling, a newborn still being breastfed by the mother.
'Fjord' is a film about the difficulty of understanding someone who thinks differently, a story about polarisation, the inability to engage in dialogue, the things that divide people and those that still keep them together.
'This film is a message about tolerance, inclusion and empathy. They are magnificent concepts that we all cherish, but which we should put into practice more often,' Cristian Mungiu said in his acceptance speech for the Palme d'Or award.
He was joined on stage by the film's two lead actors, Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan. 'We will have to wait 20 years to watch these films again and see which of them withstand the test of time,' the Romanian director also said.
Cristian Mungiu returned to Cannes' official competition with the same artistic courage that earned him the Palme d'Or in 2007 for '4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days', the Best Screenplay award in 2012 for 'Beyond the Hills' and the Best Director award in 2016 for 'Graduation'.
In 2025, the Palme d'Or was awarded to 'It Was Just an Accident', directed by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
The 79th awards gala on the Croisette took place at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres in Cannes. The ceremony was hosted by French actress Eye Haidara, while the official competition jury was chaired by South Korean director Park Chan-wook. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Badescu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)
The content of the www.agerpres.ro website has the exclusive purpose of public informing.
All the information published on this website by AGERPRES is protected by relevant legal dispositions.
It is forbidden to copy, reproduce, recompile, decompile, distribute, publish, display, modify, create derived components or products or full services, as well as any exploitation of the site's content.
Details in the section Terms of Use. If you are interested in picking up AGERPRES news items, please contact the Marketing Department – marketing@agerpres.ro.
The use of the Comments section entails your obligation to respect the AGERPRES terms and conditions in regards to the publishing of comments on the www.agerpres.ro.
Other news in category
President Dan congratulates Romanian Army for successful mission to destroy maritime drone
President Nicusor Dan on Thursday congratulated the Romanian Army and the pilots of the two F-16 fighter jets for the successful mission to destroy a maritime drone found near the Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea. 'I also congratulate the Coast Guard for the promptness with which it reported the presence of the drone in the area. It was a race against
Marine drone destroyed in area of Neptun Deep platform - DefMin Miruta
Minister of National Defence Radu Miruta announced on Thursday that a marine drone carrying explosives had been destroyed by the Romanian Army using the onboard gun of an F-16 fighter jet in the area of the Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea. 'This morning [Thursday], we were informed by the Coast Guard about the presence of a marine drone a few hundred
BRGV to participate in International Horticultural Congress in Kyoto with hottest chilli varieties
Researchers from the Plant Genetic Resources Bank (BRGV) will present six scientific papers at the International Horticultural Congress (IHC-2026) to be held in Kyoto, Japan, documenting the hottest chilli varieties developed, with concentrations of up to 2,600,000 Scoville units, as well as research on bitter cucumber and Sideritis, both valued for their medicinal applicati
Weather administration increases to 11 number of counties under code orange for scorching heat
The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) increased from eight to 11 the number of counties which will be under a code orange warning for scorching heat over the next 24 hours. According to updates issued on Thursday, until 10:00 on Friday morning, temperatures in Banat, Crisana, western and southern Oltenia, south-western Muntenia and south-western Tra
'Wesselenyi Contemporary Art Space' inaugurated in former stables at Wesselenyi Castle in Jibou
The 'Wesselenyi Contemporary Art Space' was inaugurated on Wednesday in Jibou as part of the opening of the exhibition marking the 15th edition of the 'Art in the Garden' International Visual Arts Symposium, bringing together works created by artists participating in the anniversary edition. The new exhibition space was set up in the former sta
Under new Consumption Flexibility rules, consumers can be paid for voluntarily cutting electricity use
The National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) approved on Wednesday the Regulation on Consumption Flexibility Service, a new market mechanism allowing eligible consumers - directly or through suppliers and aggregators - to be paid for temporarily and voluntarily reducing electricity use. ANRE said the mechanism adds 'a new resource' to the energy mar
USR's Political Committee reconfirms Dominic Fritz as party chairman
The Save Romania Union's (USR) Political Committee on Wednesday unanimously reconfirmed (with 151 members present) its political support for Dominic Fritz as party leader, following the Constitutional Court ruling that could cost him his term as mayor of Timisoara. 'USR reaffirms unequivocally its political support for Dominic Fritz as party chairman,&
As public debt exceeds 60pct of GDP, Romania has to freeze public pay, social security spending
Romania's public debt, calculated according to the European Union's methodology, has exceeded the threshold of 60% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and under such circumstances the legal framework provides for keeping the measures related to the previous thresholds, including those related to the programme to reduce the public debt-to-GDP ratio, and freezing publ
Oradea Citadel's 'Craisor' Bastion restored on RON 18 ml, set to open to visitors next month
The Craisor Bastion in Oradea Citadel has been restored through an investment of about RON 18 million financed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), and will be opened to visitors starting next month, local officials announced. Oradea mayor Florin Birta said on Wednesday, at the completion of works, that the project received roughly RON 10 mi
FinMin Nazare:Fiscal-Budgetary Responsibility Law does not allow Gov't to approve additional expenditures as long as debt is exceeded
Romania's public debt has exceeded 60% of GDP, and under these circumstances, the Government cannot approve measures that increase total personnel costs or total social assistance spending, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare stated on Wednesday in a Facebook post. 'With public debt exceeding 60% of GDP, fiscal-budgetary discipline is an obligation, not
TAROM names new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after Olympic champion Ivan Patzaichin
A new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft joining the TAROM fleet will be named after Ivan Patzaichin, the Olympic champion and one of the iconic figures of Romanian sport, the company announced on Wednesday. According to a press release sent to AGERPRES, the move is part of TAROM's initiative to name its aircraft after Romanians who have represented the country at th
Code orange and code yellow warnings for scorching heat as of Thursday morning
The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued scorching heat and thermal discomfort warnings on Wednesday, valid from Thursday across much of the country. A code orange warning will be in force from 20 August at 10:00 to 21 August at 10:00, affecting Banat, western and southern Oltenia, southern Crisana and south-western Transylvania, where maximum t
Photographers from nine countries participate in new edition of 'Salaj. Beauty, Tradition, Story' photography camp
Salaj County will be promoted through photography from August 28 to September 3 as part of the ninth edition of the 'Salaj. Beauty, Tradition, Story' photography camp, an event bringing together photographers from Romania and abroad. The camp is organised by the Salaj County Centre for Culture and Art, through its manager Daniel Sauca, the Foto Club Va
Culture minister announces pilot-programme aimed at supporting and promoting Roma culture
Culture Minister Andras Istvan Demeter announced on Tuesday evening at the ministry's headquarters the launch of a pilot programme aimed at supporting and promoting Roma culture, a project to be carried out by the 'Ambasadorii' (Ambassadors, ed. n.) Musical Theatre. 'We are now in an interesting situation, we are facing challenges that we keep
Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ratiu Foundation sign cooperation protocol; Foundation included in Ministry's Advisory Council
Acting Foreign Minister Oana Toiu and Pamela Ratiu, executive director of the Ratiu Democracy Foundation, signed a cooperation protocol between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and the Ratiu Foundation in Turda on Tuesday, the MAE said. The protocol aims to strengthen cooperation in areas including the promotion of democratic values, education, public dia