Virginie Efira was also rewarded with Tao Okamoto for their performance in Suddenly.
The jury of the 78th FCannes summerchaired by Park Chan-wook, delivered its verdict. 22 films were in competition this year, and that’s Fjord of Cristian Mungiu who won the Palme d’Or. The second for the Romanian director already rewarded for Four months, three weeks, two days in 2007. He joined the list of double-awarded filmmakers alongside Francis Ford Coppola, Emir Kusturica, the Dardenne brothers and Ruben Östlund.
Fjord tells the story of a pious and conservative family who settles in a small village in Norway and whose parents (played by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve) have custody of their children taken away after suspicion of abuse. A film that pushes the viewer to think against themselves, beyond their convictions: “It’s a message for tolerance and empathy†, explained Mungiu, placing even a few words in French in his speech: Â
“The state of the world is not the best, I am not very proud of what we leave to our children, and before asking them to make changes it is important that we make a small change, it should start with usâ€Â
Â
The words in French from Cristian Mungiu, the director of the Palme d’Or “Fjord”, on the world left to the next generations.#cannes2026 pic.twitter.com/QtXpsKRapp
— france.tv cinema (@francetvcinema) May 23, 2026
After the collective coronation of the actressesEmilia Perez last year, the Cannes 2026 jury also shared the acting prizes by rewarding Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne pour Coward by Lukas Dhont and Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto pour Suddenly by Riusuke Hamaguchi. Efira was in tears on stage, also sending a bittersweet message to the audience: “The situation is certainly desperate, but we must not give up on changing it, that’s what Ryusuke looks at all the time, he looks at the best part of us….Â
Emmanuel Marre paid tribute to the technicians (“Above all, they are the ones who make cinema†) receiving the Best Screenplay Award for Our salvation. The Directing Prize was also awarded to two films:The black ball of Javier Ambrossi et Javier Calvo et Fatherland of Paweł PawlikowskiwhileMinotaur of Andreï Zviaguintsev won the Grand Prix. The Russian director in exile spoke about the war in Ukraine by addressing Vladimir Putin, without naming him: “The only person who can put an end to this butchery is the President of the Russian Federationâ€.Â
The start of the closing ceremony was marked by the tribute ofIsabelle Huppert à Barbra Streisand (“not a woman object, never, a woman subjectt†), absent for the delivery of his Palm of honor but who had filmed a video message to express all his love for the Cannes Film Festival.
“We are not born Barbra Streisand, we become it”
Isabelle Huppert’s full speech to Barbra Streisand, Honorary Palme d’Or and who asked the French actress to come and pay tribute in her absence.#cannes2026 pic.twitter.com/iiNUsOIkIx
— france.tv cinema (@francetvcinema) May 23, 2026
The complete Cannes 2026 winners:
Palme d’or du court-métrage :Â
For the opponents (To the adversaries) by Federico Luis
Caméra d’or :Â
Ben’imana de Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Male actor award:
Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campaign for Coward
Prix du scénario :
Emmanuel Marre for Our Salvation
Prix d’interprétation féminine :
Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for Suddenly
Jury prize:
L’Aventure rêvéeÂby Valeska Grisebach
Ex-aequo directing prize:
Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for The black ball
Paweł Pawlikowski pour Fatherland
The Grand Prize:
Minotaur by Andreï Zviaguintsev
Palme d’or :
Fjord by Cristian Mungiu
