Alarm Clock Mail of May 24, 2026 | International mail

The actress Eye Haïdara, who presided over the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday evening, warned the public: “This year, the films arrived loaded with the noises of the world.†. Pour Timethe actress “perfectly summed up the impression left by a competition which will have been marked by films of struggle and resistanceâ€.

And this strong trend of the 2026 edition was naturally reflected in the winners “engage†of the jury chaired by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, notes the Swiss daily.

The Palme d’Or went to Romanian Cristian Mungiu for Fjorda drama pitting a couple of evangelical Christians (Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve) against the Norwegian social services, who suspect them of mistreating their children.

A film that lifts “disturbing questions for progressive and well-meaning societies†and seeks to show “how prejudice transforms a society that believes itself to be open into an intolerant societyâ€analyse The Country.

Message à Poutine

Joining the very exclusive club of double palmed directors – after his victory in 2007 with 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days – Cristian Mungiu called “put more into practice†the empathy and tolerance which “gargarisent†progressive societies. “Society today is fractured, it is becoming radicalized. My film is a commitment against all forms of integrity, it advocates a message of tolerance…a-t-il clamé.

And The World judge this palm “questionableâ€he approves on the other hand “no objection†the rest of the prize list, notably the Grand Prix – equivalent to a Silver Palm – awarded to the Russian Andreï Zviaguintsev for “Minotaureâ€a family drama set against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.

In his speech, the director exiled in France spoke directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to urge him to put an end to the war in Ukraine. “The only person who can put an end to this butchery is the President of the Russian Federation. Put an end to this carnage, the whole world is waiting for it…he said.

Décisions « bizarres »

The correspondent ofThe Corriere della Serafor his part, does not hide his annoyance, “convinced that the weak point of this beautiful festival was precisely the jury†and its decisions “weird…. The critic is particularly surprised by the numerous tied prices.

“I don’t remember a list where three of the seven prizes were awarded ex equoâ€he writes, reserving his barbs for the prize for male interpretation, awarded to young Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne for Coward you Belgian Lukas Dhont, “which frankly paled in comparison to the performances of [Swann] Arnaud (in Our Salvation) and especially Javier Bardem in L’être aimé by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, a shamefully forgotten film….

The prize for female interpretation was also shared, between Virginie Efira and the Japanese Tao Okamoto, for Suddenly by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, while the directing prize rewarded three directors: the Spanish tandem formed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, for The black balland the Pole Pawel Pawlikowski for Fatherland.

The only exception of a prize list “largely dominated by Europeâ€Rwandan Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo won the Camera d’or with Ben’imanaa reflection on the memory of the Tutsi genocide. “It was a welcome triumph for African cinema, on a very Eurocentric evening…observe Variety.

The most résumé, “respect for differences, defense of rights, empathy, benevolence and, above all, rejection of war†They were at the heart of the palmarà ̈s, observe The Press. “A diverse list of winners, marked by good intentions, ties and clear attempts to reconcile divergent opinions….