Festival de Cannes 2026: Cristian Mungiu Wins the Palme d’Or for Fjord

The 79th edition of the Festival de Cannes came to a close on Saturday, May 23, 2026, with the announcement of the official winners selected by the Competition Jury chaired by Park Chan-wook. The South Korean filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer presided over one of the most internationally diverse competitions in recent years, with 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or.

The Closing Ceremony, held at the Palais des Festivals, was hosted by Eye Haïdara, who had also opened this year’s festival on May 12. The ceremony brought together filmmakers, actors, producers, and international guests for the final event of the 2026 edition.

Among the awards presented during the evening were the Palme d’Or, the Grand Prix, the Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Performance by an Actress, and Best Performance by an Actor.

The Competition Winners

The Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest distinction, was presented by Scottish actress Tilda Swinton.

The awards were presented by an international group of presenters, including Geena Davis, Xavier Dolan, Pierfrancesco Favino, Gael García Bernal, Nadine Labaki, and Zoe Saldana.

Official Competition Winners

• Palme d’Or: Fjord by Christian Mungiu
• Grand Prix: Minotaur by Andreï Zviaguintsev
• Jury Prize: The Dreamed Adventure by Valenska Grisebach
• Best Director (ex-equo): Paweł Pawlikowski (Fatherland) and Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi (La Bola Negra)
• Best Screenplay: Emmanuel Marre (A Man Of His Time)
• Best Actress (ex-equo): Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto (All of a Sudden )
• Best Actor (ex-equo):  Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne (Coward)

A Competition Marked by International Auteur Cinema

The 2026 Competition lineup reflected a strong concentration of established auteurs alongside filmmakers returning to Cannes after acclaimed previous works.

The Competition included The Birthday Party by Léa Mysius, Moulin by László Nemes, The Man I Love by Ira Sachs, El Ser Querido (The Beloved) by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Minotaur by Andreï Zviaguintsev, Amarga Navidad by Pedro Almodóvar, A Woman’s Life by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, La Bola Negra by Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi, Coward by Lukas Dhont, Parallel Tales by Asghar Farhadi, Paper Tiger by James Gray, The Dreamed Adventure by Valeska Grisebach, All of a Sudden by Hamaguchi Ryusuke, The Unknown by Arthur Harari, Another Day by Jeanne Herry, Sheep In The Box by Koreeda Hirokazu, Hope by Na Hong-jin, Nagi Notes by Fukada Koji, Gentle Monster by Marie Kreutzer, A Man Of His Time by Emmanuel Marre, Fjord by Cristian Mungiu, and Fatherland by Paweł Pawlikowski.

Honorary Palme d’Or Presented to Barbra Streisand

Short Film Palme d’Or and Caméra d’Or

The ceremony also included the presentation of the Short Film Palme d’Or by the Short Films Jury, chaired by Carla Simón.

Meanwhile, the Caméra d’Or Jury, presided over by Monia Chokri, awarded the prize dedicated to the best first feature presented across the festival’s official selections.

Short Film Palme d’Or

• For the Opponents by Federico Luis

Caméra d’Or

• Ben’Imana by Marie Clementine Dusabejambo

Un Certain Regard Winners Were Announced Ahead of the Closing Ceremony

Ahead of the festival’s final evening, Cannes also revealed the winners of the 2026 Un Certain Regard section, dedicated to discovery-driven and auteur cinema.

Chaired by French actress Leïla Bekhti, the jury included Senegalese producer and director Angèle Diabang, Lebanese composer Khaled Mouzanar, Italian filmmaker Laura Samani, and French director Thomas Cailley.

Un Certain Regard Prize

Everytime by Sandra Wollner

Jury Prize

Elephants in the Fog by Abinash Bikram Shah
First feature film

Special Jury Prize

IRON BOY by Louis Clichy

Best Actor

Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset for CONGO BOY directed by Rafiki Fariala

Best Actress

Marina de Tavira, Daniela Marín Navarro, and Mariangel Villegas for SIEMPRE SOY TU ANIMAL MATERNO directed by Valentina Maurel