Romanian director Mungiu wins second Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival

Director Cristian Mungiu poses with the trophy during a photocall after winning the Palme d'Or for the film "Fjord" during the closing ceremony of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 23, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)

CANNES, France, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's latest film "Fjord" won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which concluded on Saturday evening.

Mungiu, who won the Palme d'Or in 2007 for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", tells the story in "Fjord" of a Romanian-Norwegian couple who settle in a village at the end of a fjord and face intense scrutiny from their neighbors.

The Jury Prize was awarded to German director Valeska Grisebach for "The Dreamed Adventure." French director and screenwriter Emmanuel Marre received the Best Screenplay Award for "Notre salut."

Several awards were shared this year. The Best Director Award was jointly presented to Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for "La Bola Negra," and to Pawel Pawlikowski for "Fatherland." The Best Actress Award was shared by Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for their performances in "Suddenly," directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. The Best Actor Award went jointly to Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne for their roles in "Coward," directed by Lukas Dhont.

During the closing ceremony, the festival also presented its third honorary Palme d'Or to American actress and singer Barbra Streisand, who was unable to attend Cannes in person. At Streisand's request, French actress Isabelle Huppert accepted the award on her behalf and paid tribute to her cinematic career.

The 79th Cannes Film Festival was held from May 12 to 23.

This photo taken on May 23, 2026 shows the trophy of the Palme d'Or during a photocall for the film "Fjord" during the closing ceremony of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. (Photo: Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)