Arabic version: كريستيان مونغيو يفوز بجائزة السعفة الذهبية الثانية في مهرجان كان
Cristian Mungiu has won his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his latest film, Fjord, a drama addressing child abuse. This achievement comes nineteen years after his first win in 2007 with the acclaimed film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Fjord, which marks Mungiu’s English-language debut, features actors Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan as Romanian religious parents facing accusations of child abuse after relocating to Norway. According to The Guardian, this victory makes Mungiu the tenth director to earn two Palme d’Or awards.
The Grand Prix runner-up prize was awarded to Andrey Zvyagintsev for his film Minotaur, a dark satire exploring themes of corruption and infidelity in modern Russia. Valeska Grisebach’s film, The Dreamed Adventure, set in Bulgaria, received the Jury prize for its portrayal of an archaeologist’s journey.
Awards for acting were shared among multiple performers, with Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto jointly winning the best actress award for the care drama All of a Sudden. The best actor prize was awarded to Valentin Campagne and Emmanuel Macchia for their roles in the queer first world war drama Coward. This year’s festival was noted for its muted atmosphere and the absence of Hollywood glamour, with two U.S. films in competition failing to impress judges.
Fjord has already been acquired by U.S. distributor Neon, marking their seventh consecutive year taking home the top prize. The jury for this year’s festival was led by Park Chan-wook and included notable figures such as Demi Moore and Chloé Zhao. During the closing ceremony, Isabelle Huppert honored Barbra Streisand, who received an honorary Palme d’Or but could not attend due to a knee injury, delivering her acceptance speech via video.
Other notable awards included Sandra Wollner’s Everytime winning Un Certain Regard and Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s Ben’Imana taking home the Camera d’Or for best first film. Additionally, Sarah Arnold’s Too Many Beasts was recognized as the best European film in Directors’ Fortnight.
