Cannes 2026 Ends with Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord” Winning Palme d’Or

The 2026 edition of the Cannes Film Festival concluded on May 23 with its annual closing ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in the south of France. Hosted by French actress Eye Haidara, the ceremony marked the end of two weeks dedicated to world cinema and revealed this year’s major award winners.

Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu won the prestigious Palme d’Or for his film “Fjord,” marking his second victory in the category following “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” in 2007. The award also extended the remarkable streak of the film’s North American distributor, Neon, which has now backed seven consecutive Palme d’Or winners.

The ceremony also saw Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski receive the Best Director prize for “Fatherland,” sharing the honour with filmmaking duo Los Javis for “The Black Ball.” Pawlikowski had previously won the same award at Cannes in 2018 for “Cold War.”

This year’s competition jury was led by South Korean director Park Chan-wook. The jury also included filmmakers Diego Cespedes, Laura Wandel, and Chloé Zhao, alongside actors Isaach de Bankolé, Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Stellan Skarsgård, and screenwriter Paul Laverty.

The Camera d’Or, awarded to the best debut feature across all sections of the festival, was selected by an independent jury.

Meanwhile, the short film competition jury was presided over by filmmaker Carla Simón. Other members included artist and actress Park Ji-Min, screenwriter and producer Ali Asgari, actor-director Salim Kechiouche, and director-screenwriter Magnus von Horn.

Legendary actress and singer Barbra Streisand received an Honorary Palme d’Or during the ceremony. Although unable to attend in person, Streisand shared a video message expressing gratitude to presenter Isabelle Huppert and the festival for the recognition.

Cannes Film Festival 2026 Award Winners

Palme d’Or: “Fjord,” Cristian Mungiu

Grand Prix: “Minotaur,” Andrey Zvyagintsev

Jury Prize: “The Dreamed Adventure,” Valeska Grisebach

Best Director: Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, “The Black Ball”; Pawel Pawlikowski, “Fatherland”

Best Actress: Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, “All of a Sudden”

Best Actor: Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, “Coward”

Best Screenplay: “A Man of His Time,” Emmanuel Marre

Camera d’Or for Best First Feature: “Ben’imana,” Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

Short Film Palme d’Or: “Para Los Contrincantes,” Federico Luis