Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu has won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival for his drama Fjord, marking the second time in his career that he has claimed the festival’s top honor.
The award was announced during the closing ceremony of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 23. Mungiu previously won the Palme d’Or in 2007 for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, making him one of a select group of filmmakers to receive the honor twice.
'Fjord', Mungiu’s English-language debut, stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as Romanian parents living in Norway who become embroiled in a child abuse investigation after cultural and ideological clashes with local authorities. Critics praised the film for its nuanced exploration of religion, migration, and social prejudice
Other major winners at Cannes included Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, whose film 'Minotaur' received the Grand Prix, while German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach won the Jury Prize for 'The Dreamed Adventure'.
The Best Director award was shared between Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski for 'Fatherland' and Spanish directing duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for 'The Black Ball'. Acting honors were also split, with Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto sharing Best Actress, while Valentin Campagne and Emmanuel Macchia jointly won Best Actor.
