Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu has won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his Norway-set drama Fjord. This marks the second time Mungiu has received the festival’s highest honour, following his 2007 win for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.
At a Cannes edition where few films generated major excitement, Fjord stood out and earned widespread praise for its compelling exploration of political and social division. Mungiu described the film as a story about “left-wing fundamentalism.”
The film stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as Romanian evangelical parents who relocate to Norway. Their lives take a dramatic turn when child welfare authorities remove their children after the couple are accused of spanking them.
“Today the society is split. It’s divided. It’s radicalized,” said Mungiu.
“This film is a pledge against any type of fundamentalism. It’s a pledge for these things we quote very often, like trauma and inclusion and empathy. These are lovely words but we need to apply them more often.”
With this victory, Mungiu becomes only the 10th filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or twice.
The success of Fjord also continues an extraordinary winning streak for Neon, the specialty film distributor behind the movie. Neon has now backed seven consecutive Palme d’Or winners, including last year’s winner, It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi, and the 2024 winner Anora, which later went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, Unifor, NEPMCC, and the Canada Freelance Union. He holds CAVCO Personnel Number SINH0106. Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
